War. Damn. Eagle.
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Well, uh, the hottest team in the country is actually Auburn. Remember when everyone sort of wrote them off in January and then they ended up doing this? Because that’s what’s happening. This was a 2 point game at halftime before Auburn opened the second half with a couple of threes and a quick 8-0 run.
The impressive part is what Auburn did in the first half though. Jared Harper had to sit with two fouls for a decent amount of time. The fact that they never let UNC open up the lead and then took that 2 pt lead was just so huge. And this is all credit to Bruce Pearl. I know he’s a polarizing coach, but it’s hard to argue with what he’s doing this year. He’s setting up Auburn for success by just letting them play. He’s letting them run. He’s letting them shoot. He’s utilizing that jump press. He deserves credit for that no matter what you think of him.
As for UNC. Well, I thought they overachieved from preseason expectations. Majority of people thought they were closer to 10-15 in the preseason than a top-4 team in the country. Coby White was a breakout star. Cam Johnson was finally healthy and that All-ACC/American player. Luke Maye continued to be consistent. I won’t miss you, Luke. You ripped my heart out already so it’s tough for me to feel bad for you even though you were way better than I imagined after that made jumper.
It’s worth noting that Chuma Okeke, who has turned into a star for Auburn suffered a gruesome leg/knee injury in the second half. It sounded like his leg snapped when it was a nasty buckle and he was on the ground for quite some time. He did walk with the help of trainers to the locker room and I’d be very, very surprised if he plays this tournament. Just something to keep an eye on for Sunday’s game against Houston or Kentucky.