Chuma Okeke's knee injury, suffered in the Tigers' historic win over North Carolina, will require an MRI and likely keep the sophomore out for Auburn's Elite Eight game Sunday and the remainder of the NCAA Tournament.
"We think it could be serious," said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl postgame.
With 8:08 remaining in the second half of Auburn's 97-80 win over 1-seed North Carolina in Friday's Sweet 16 contest, Okeke attacked the basket and his left knee buckled. The sophomore fell and hit the hardwood.
Teammates and coaches immediately rushed over to Okeke's side. A trainer brought Okeke a towel for him to bite on while he writhed in pain. Tigers senior guard Bryce Brown could barely look.
The forward posted a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes against one of the bigger and more athletically gifted teams in the nation in North Carolina before going down with the injury.
When Okeke was able to get up and make his way to the locker room, all five Carolina players on the floor ran over and hugged him.
"I think in those moments, you begin to see what these guys are made of, both teams, the fabric," Pearl said. "We started to pray. We asked God to watch over our brother. And Carolina did it and our guys did it. Our guys said -- as soon as he went down, they said, 'Let's play.'... That was I think everybody's first thought. Wasn't about the score or the next possession. It was about our brother."
Okeke will undergo an MRI on Saturday. He was not available to the media postgame, but he did release a statement to Auburn fans.
"I'm really proud of our team," Okeke said. "We were able to make history tonight. We do not drop off when we go to our bench and we'll be ready for whoever we play on Sunday."
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
