March Madness: 10 best moments from the 2019 NCAA Tournament

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: De'Andre Hunter #12, Kyle Guy #5, and Ty Jerome #11 of the Virginia Cavaliers huddle together during overtime against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – MARCH 29: Chuma Okeke #5 of the Auburn Tigers reacts after suffering an injury against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at Sprint Center on March 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

4. Auburn rallies behind injured teammate Chuma Okeke

The Tigers’ surprise hot streak at the end of the season had a lot of different contributors, but perhaps none was bigger than big man Chuma Okeke. He was widely regarded as the most talented player on the Auburn roster, and he came on strong towards the end of the season.

In the SEC title game against Tennessee, Okeke went for 18 points and 13 rebounds to help Auburn punch the SEC’s automatic ticket to March Madness. The Tigers saw more consistent interior production from Okeke in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, where he scored a combined 25 points in the wins.

Okeke was in the middle of a monstrous game against North Carolina in the Sweet 16, putting up 20 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes before landing awkwardly in the second half. The news was horrible for Auburn, who lost Okeke for the remainder of the year due to a torn ACL.

The Tigers were heartbroken after watching Okeke go out, and they played like it in the first half of their Elite Eight matchup with Kentucky, struggling to put up a good effort against a more talented Wildcats’ team. Perhaps sensing that the Tigers needed a lift, Okeke came out to the Auburn bench in a wheelchair, causing the crowd to erupt in applause.

That energy lifted the Tigers, who went on to rally to force overtime against Kentucky. Auburn ended up with a 77-71 win and the first Final Four appearance in school history as they rallied behind their injured big man.

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