Auburn’s Sweet 16 win over North Carolina was overshadowed by the scary injury to Chuma Okeke. The sophomore forward suffered a torn ACL against the Tar Heels and was initially going to watch the Elite Eight game from the team hotel with his family.
When the Tigers went into the locker room down five points at halftime against Kentucky, Okeke changed his mind. He made way to the Sprint Center to root on his teammates.
The CBS broadcast showed Okeke being wheeled into the arena and the ovation as he made his way to the bench area.
According to the broadcast, Okeke woke up tired and in some pain on Sunday. They determined that it would be best for him to watch the game from the hotel, but when the game actually got going, he decided to go and give his teammates an emotional lift.
Before the game, teammate Malik Dunbar wore Okeke’s jersey during shootaround.
