WEATHER REPORT (Few Showers, 65°/51°) TIME: 6:09 PM (EST) DATE: April 6th, 2019 LOCATION: U.S. Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, MN HOW TO WATCH: CBS The Lowdown Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, the Virginia Cavaliers are in the Final Four. It took a stunning pass by Kihei Clark and a big-time shot from Mamadi Diakite to get the team there, but the saying is, survive and advance, right? Like any other year under Tony Bennett, the Cavaliers are defensive juggernauts. They have held opposing teams to just 55.4 points per game, good for first in D1 basketball. The Wahoos are also fifth in opposing field goal percentage, keeping others shooting at only 34.8%. While defense has been a Bennett hallmark, Virginia has upped their offensive scoring capabilities this year. The team is seventh in three-point field goal percentage, at 39.4%. This efficiency is mirrored in their lack of turnovers, in which they rank third for the least amount of them. This week, Auburn will try to test the limits of the pack-line defense. They will also have to do so without Chuma Okeke, their impactful forward, who tore his ACL in their Sweet Sixteen matchup. The Tigers are an offensive powerhouse and have used their fast-paced offense to take down Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky on their way to the Final Four. An impressive list of teams, for sure. Auburn ranks first in three-pointers made, second in three-point attempts, and 31st in three-point field goal percentage. They also thrive off a hounding defense, ranking first in steals. On paper, this matchup should be a tug-o-war between the differing paces of the two teams. Virginia has proven that they can take care of offensively minded teams this year and Auburn has proven they can overwhelm teams with their uptempo style. The Tigers have the chops to disrupt the pack-line in ways other teams were unable to. At the same time, the Cavaliers defense can cause big confusion for Auburn’s main scorers. Who will win? I’m not sure, but I sure do hope the basketball gods smile once again on Virginia this Saturday. I, for one, am willing to drink as many orange vanilla Coca-Colas as it takes to at least appease the advertising gods... At the minimum, enjoy the moment as we get to watch Virginia play in its first Final Four since 1984. Let us hope that their story isn’t over yet and that Saturday’s chapter could be the penultimate...with one final chapter still to be written. The Statistics Category UVA Category Auburn Category UVA Category Auburn Defensive Pts/Game 1st (56.7) Offensive Pts/Game 28th (80.2) Offensive 3Pt% 7th (39.4%) Defensive 3Pt% 196th (34.5%) Defensive 3Pt% 4th (28.7%) Offensive 3Pt% 31st (37.9%) Offensive Effeciency 4th (1.141) Offensive Effeciency 10th (1.117) Hoo’s Hoo? Virginia Cavaliers Kyle Guy, G After going cold for the first three games of the NCAA Tournament, Kyle Guy caught fire for 25 points and five threes against Purdue. It was a welcoming sight for Virginia fans, as Guy’s offensive success could be the real key if the Cavaliers are to make it past Auburn and possibly win it all. The limited offensive possessions of Virginia tend to get more magnified this deep in the tournament. Guy could be the one who will determine the magnification factor. Virginia Cavaliers Kihei Clark, G Critics aside (and I think most have been silenced), first-year guard Kihei Clark has been one of the most clutch players for Virginia in this tournament. In addition to his ferocious defense, Clark has provided an offensive spark in sharp passes or three pointers when the Hoos have needed it badly. This week, Coch Tony Bennett will most likely give heavy minutes again to Clark due to the favorable height matchup against Auburn’s guard, Jared Harper, who stands at 5’ 11”. Virginia Cavaliers De’Andre Hunter, F Hunter, a projected first-round NBA Lottery pick, has been a stalwart for Tony Bennett’s defense - effectively shutting down whoever he is matched up against (let’s just say Carsen Edwards was an anomaly). Although, offensively, Hunter has been performing slightly below average the last three games. Cavalier fans would be thrilled to see him offensively shine against Auburn, who is without their star forward Chuma Okeke. Auburn Tigers Jared Harper, G Junior guard Jared Harper has been big-time for the Tigers all year long. As an integral part to Auburn’s scoring, Harper has continuously shown up big for his team. In the Tigers’ Elite Eight matchup with Kentucky, he dropped 26 points to go along with five assists, two blocks, and three steals. As mentioned above, the Clark-Harper matchup should be an intriguing one to watch - with Harper being a much more offensively minded guard than Clark. We will most likely see big minutes down the stretch from both guards. Auburn Tigers Bryce Brown, G Senior Bryce Brown is a stud for the Tigers. He is Auburn’s leading scorer on the year, averaging 16 points/game, and has only scored in the single digits seven times this season. The shooting guard has shown his ability to shoot lights out in this tournament, going 9-13 against Kansas and 8-12 against Kentucky in field goals. Auburn has relied heavily on Brown and Harper to get buckets throughout the year and their scoring ability will most likely carry the Tigers on Saturday. Auburn Tigers Danjel Purifoy , F Junior Danjel Purifoy is the next man up in the absence of Chuma Okeke. Purifoy has the biggest uptick in minutes due to Okeke’s absence: he had only averaged 11.7 minutes a game, but saw 32 minutes against Kentucky. While he only scored six points, Purifoy also grabbed seven rebounds. Purifoy has the potential to be an X-factor for Bruce Pearl’s team and should be someone to watch on Saturday. *Paul 1, Matt, and Paul 2 all abstained due to “severe, outcome-specific superstitious reasons” and, unfortunately, are not legally obligated to fill this bet form out. Poll Winner? This poll is closed 81% Virginia (744 votes) 18% Auburn (174 votes) 918 votes total Vote Now #tbt<doc-sep>MINNEAPOLIS — Auburn and Virginia are on the cusp of a national championship. Both are vying for their first title. Auburn is in its first Final Four. Outside of making history, these two teams could not be more different. Virginia loves to slow the pace and value offensive possessions. Meanwhile, Auburn wants to push the tempo and hit 3-pointers in transition. Which style wins? Tipoff Saturday is set for 5:09 p.m. CT inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Final Four will be televised on CBS. Let's check in on what the experts are projecting in the matchup. *** Try us for $1 and get the latest Auburn recruiting and team scoops *** *** Get FREE Auburn breaking news in your inbox ***<doc-sep>Saturday’s national semifinal between Auburn and Virginia came down to a pair of officiating decisions in the final seconds. The late foul on Kyle Guy’s attempt from 3-point range and the missed double-dribble by Ty Jerome swung the game to Virginia. Had the latter been called accurately, Auburn would be preparing for Monday’s national title game against Texas Tech. That much is undeniable. The NCAA, though, is going to great lengths to pretend that Virginia’s win was decided with zero controversy. In fact, if you looked for official highlights from Saturday’s game, you may be surprised to see that the two most consequential moments of the game were not included at all in the NCAA’s 10-minute video. The NCAA March Madness official YouTube channel posted a “Virginia vs. Auburn: Final Four extended game highlights” video on Saturday night. At the 9:30 mark in the video, we see Jared Harper’s missed free throw immediately followed by Auburn giving its first foul on Jerome. Then, the video jumps to Guy shooting his go-ahead free throws. The highlights totally skipped over the missed double-dribble. It even skipped over the controversial (but accurate) foul that sent Guy to the line. Look at this editing sequence: Like, what? The NCAA has reason to be embarrassed by how the game was officiated. These were supposed to be the top-performing officials, and they missed a double-dribble that literally decided a Final Four game. But the game happened. The missed no-call happened. The foul happened. Virginia is playing in Monday’s title game. That’s not changing. The NCAA can acknowledge the error, take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen and move on. The NFL, despite taking a week to comment on its missed Saints-Rams call, at least included it in its highlight videos. The national coordinator of officiating, J.D. Collins, has already said that a statement won’t be put out about the missed double-dribble, which is a disservice to fans. J.D. Collins, national coordinator of officiating, tells @CBSSports the NCAA will not be putting out a statement on the no-call on Ty Jerome’s double dribble due to it being a judgement/missed call. — Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 7, 2019 But to completely exclude the final plays from NCAA highlights is nothing short of whitewashing. That video should have never been approved.<doc-sep>
Horace Spencer jumps for a rebound vs. Virginia. MINNEAPOLIS-- Horace Spencer’s final game as an Auburn basketball player ended in a very disappointing 63-62 loss to Virginia at the NCAA Final Four, but the four-year contributor said now that he is done playing for the Tigers he will leave with good memories. Despite the heartbreak of a last-second loss, and it coming on a controversial call by official James Breeding, in the somber Auburn postgame locker room the senior added some perspective to the proceedings. “We were SEC champion last year, (SEC) Tournament champion this year and made it to the Final Four this year,” the senior forward said. “Two years we weren’t even in the conversation. In the last two years we have accomplished a lot as a program. “I am just proud of everybody who came through the program with me,” said Spencer, who was one of the first players to commit to the Tigers after Bruce Pearl was hired as head coach.” Spencer added, “The last four years have been really good for me and I just appreciate Coach Pearl for giving me the opportunity to play for him. He is a great coach and a great guy. I am going to miss him.” In other news and notes: *Spencer said he felt bad that his injured teammate, Chuma Okeke, was not able to play or even attend the Final Four. “Chuma could have made a big difference,” he said of the sophomore forward, who was the team’s No. 3 scorer and top rebounder this season. *Bryce Brown hit 4-10 three-pointers in his final college game to break the SEC single-season record of 138 set by Marshall Henderson of Ole Miss in 2013. The Auburn guard finished his senior season with 141 treys and produced 382 for his career, second in SEC history to the 431 by Tennessee’s Chris Lofton. *Brown scored 1,673 points for the Tigers, which is the seventh most in AU history. *With nine treys vs. Virginia, Auburn finished with 454 for the season, 10 behind the record set by last year’s NCAA champion, the Villanova Wildcats. *Jared Harper now has 1,427 points, which ranks sixth in program history for a player at the end of his junior season. Harper and Brown became the first teammates in Auburn?history to score at least 600 points in the same season. *Harper’s 149 made free throws are the sixth most in an AU season. He has 418 career free throws, which ranks No. 2 on the all-time list for the Tigers. His 528 free throw attempts also ranks second. *Harper finished the season with an AU record 231 assists and has 511 for his career, which is fifth in AU history and the most for any player at the end of his third season. *Anfernee McLemore just missed a double-double with 12 rebounds and nine points. His rebounding total is the most for an Auburn player in the NCAA Tournament since Jeff Moore pulled in 13 and Chris Morris added 12 in a victory over Bradley in the 1988 tournament at Atlanta. *Taking the spot of injured sophomore forward Chuma Okeke, junior Danjel Purifoy scored seven points while adding five rebounds in 29 minutes and two seconds of playing time. It was his first start since a game vs. Missouri in the 2017 SEC Tournament. •De'Andre Hunter of Virginia had this comment on the three free throws by Kyle Guy that put the Cavaliers into the lead with 0.6 seconds left. "I saw the official called a foul and I was just hoping that the call stood. I don't know if Kyle knew if it was a foul, but I told him and he just got ready to shoot the free throws." *The Tigers dropped to 17-10 in NCAA Tournament games and are 5-2 with Bruce Pearl as head coach.