MINNEAPOLIS _ Auburn was ready to celebrate.
The Tigers, up by two points, turned away from Virginia guard Kyle Guy's missed at-the-buzzer 3-point shot with arms raised. The crowd cheered. But in all that pandemonium, a whistle.
The referees called Auburn game-leading scorer Samir Doughty for a foul. Guy sank all three of his free throws. The six-tenths of a second left on the clock weren't enough for Auburn to make up one point.
No. 1 Virginia advanced to the national championship as boos rained down on the U.S. Bank Stadium. No. 5 Auburn fell, 63-62, on Saturday, ending the Tigers' 12-game winning streak and magical NCAA Tournament run in controversy.
Auburn's goal for the tournament semifinal was to make its shots and speed up Virginia's pace of play. The Cavaliers' goal was to win at all costs. So not even Auburn's 15-3 comeback run in the second half could overcome that edict.
"We're not going to compromise on how we play, but at the same time, our style of play is just to win," Guy said in an interview before the game. "We can score with the best in the country, and we can defend with the best in the country. So whatever it takes to win."
Virginia, embarrassed a year ago when it became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, will face either No. 2 Michigan State or No. 3 Texas Tech in the national championship Monday.
Auburn had dispatched of No. 4 Kansas, No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Kentucky en route to its first Final Four appearance. And after losing a three-point lead after halftime to come back from a significant second-half deficit, it looked likely the underdog would again eliminate another No. 1 seed.
"At some point after beating Kansas, UNC and Kentucky, people have to understand that we can play and beat some of the best teams," Auburn junior forward Anfernee McLemore said earlier this week. "A lot of people have picked Virginia in every single game. So we are used to it by now and used to going against the crowd."
But the bracket-breaking couldn't continue. The Tigers lost their third-best scorer, sophomore forward Chuma Okeke, in the Sweet 16 to an ACL tear. And its top two players _ senior guard Bryce Brown and junior guard Jared Harper _ fell ill a few days before the semifinal with colds. It's likely neither played at 100 percent, but Brown finished with 12 points and Harper 11. Doughty, coming off the bench, scored a team-high 13 points.
Auburn, one of the fastest-paced teams, tried to break down Virginia, one of the slowest-paced teams that also ranks as one of the most efficient on both sides of the ball. The Tigers' quick style relied on forcing turnovers. The Cavaliers weren't a team that coughs up the ball easily. Auburn was a 3-point shooting team. Virginia's pack-line defense made that very tough.
In fact, in the first half, Auburn only shot 3 for 14 from the 3-point line and scored just two points off turnovers. Yet the Tigers went into halftime with a slim 31-28.
Virginia junior guard Ty Jerome led the game with 21 points and said his main job going in was to keep his team "poised" and focused on each individual possession. That specific focus likely came from last year's tournament experience.
"We've been embarrassed in March," Jerome said pregame. "And that gives us an extra little chip on our shoulder, some extra motivation."
Guy finished with 15 points. And his Virginia, which was always a favorite, now must endure heading into the title game possibly more hated than celebrated.
"First off, we don't really care if you guys like us or not," Guy said pregame. "So that will probably make us unlikable. At the same time, we are a very unselfish basketball team, and we do whatever it takes to win. We try to do it with a smile on our face.
"We've been through so much and have been doubted."
