Here’s everything you need to know about the Final Four matchup between Auburn and Virginia, including how you can watch the game online.
Saturday’s opening Final Four matchup is set to be a battle for the ages as the rolling Auburn Tigers face off against the Virginia Cavaliers, still on their revenge tour after last year’s first round loss.
There’s been much ado about Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers–both for the right reasons, and the wrong. The rights include things like their tenacity, competitiveness despite losing a key player and talent. The wrong reasons, well, they mostly circle around Bruce Pearl’s controversial coaching history.
One way or another, the Tigers have landed in the Final Four, with an electric team that has been incredibly fun to watch down the stretch of the season. There’s plenty to be positive about with this Auburn Tigers team. After losing star player Chuma Okeke for the remainder of the season, they were an underdog against the blueblood Kentucky Wildcats in their matchup in the Elite Eight but came out on top in overtime.
Without Okeke, the bulk of the scoring for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers will fall on the shoulders of mobile playmaker Bryce Brown and stellar three-point scorer Jared Harper. It’s no secret that they play a large part in what makes this Virginia offense run, but they’ll be relied on even more in their game Saturday, taking on a three-headed trio of Kyle Guy, De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome. Without Okeke, the Tigers’ bench will have to be running on full steam.
The Virginia Cavaliers landed in the Final Four thanks to fantastic play, specifically defensively, throughout the beginning of the tournament. More recently, however, they were fired forward from the Elite Eight by their offense’s dynamic performance against what proved to be one of the toughest Big Ten teams in the Purdue Boilermakers.
Kyle Guy led the Cavaliers with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the win, and junior guard Ty Jerome continued his hot streak in this year’s tournament, putting up an additional 24 points. If Virginia can continue to pair this hot offense with their season-long defensive strength, they may land themselves a place in the National Championship.
Here’s how you can watch Auburn vs. Virginia in the Final Four
- Date: Saturday, April 6
- Start Time: Saturday, April 6, 8:49 p.m. ET
- Location: U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV Channel: CBS
- Live Stream: CBS All-Access