With 1.5 seconds left, Ty Jerome inbounded the ball to Virginia teammate Kyle Guy for a three-pointer to win the game. The ball clanked off the rim. The buzzer sounded. Auburn fans roared. The U.S. Bank Stadium announcer called the game for the Tigers.
But on the court, Virginia players were clapping. Auburn's players brought their hands to their heads in disbelief. Somewhere in all that chaos, a whistle.
Guy, the same player who struggled after No. 1 Virginia's historic first-round loss last season to a No. 16 seed, stepped up to the line for three free throws, thanks to a controversial call on Auburn junior guard Samir Doughty. He made all three, and Virginia stunned the No. 5 seed Tigers to advance 63-62 to the national championship game Monday.
"I am a man of faith, so I believe that there's a plan for me, but I don't know what it is," Guy said. "But … there was a feeling that, again, you can call it luck, you can call it religion, you can call it magic.
"This is March madness, and we're just taking care of our business."
That attitude of winning and not asking how has served the Cavaliers well this tournament, which started with a scare from another No. 16 seed and needed another buzzer-beater shot to force overtime with No. 3 Purdue in the Elite Eight.
More dramatics ensued Saturday, especially to end the second half. Virginia had built a 10-point lead with about five minutes left in the game. But Auburn thundered back, going on a 14-0 run on the back of senior guard Bryce Brown's three-point shooting to take the lead in the final seconds.
In the final eight seconds, though, a series of unfortunate events conspired against Auburn. Junior guard Jared Harper, an 82.8 percent free-throw shooter, made his first free throw but missed his second for a 62-60 Tigers lead. With the seconds winding down, referees missed a double-dribble call on Jerome, a junior guard, that should have given the Tigers the ball. Jerome tried to dribble behind his back and deflected the ball off his leg; he then put both hands on the ball to pick it up and resumed dribbling.