No. 5 seed Auburn's 97-80 win over No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 was bittersweet. On one hand, the victory sent the Tigers to their second Elite Eight in school history and was further proof that, when this team is hot, they have Final Four potential. On the other hand, they lost breakout forward Chuma Okeke. 

The sophomore was playing absolutely out of his mind, shooting 73 percent from the floor and recording a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. However, in driving to the basket with eight minutes remaining in the second half, Okeke crumpled to the floor as his left leg buckled beneath him. He spent the next few minutes writhing in pain on the court as the crowd in the Sprint Center in Kansas City fell silent. The Auburn bench, including coach Bruce Pearl, was clearly emotional and North Carolina's bench stood in stunned silence. 

As Okeke was helped off the court, able to walk some under his own power, many North Carolina players went over to console him. 

After the win, Pearl was emotional in speaking about the best player on the floor. "He's hurt," Pearl said. "We're gonna rally. I'll go hug on him.

Okeke did not return to the game and his official diagnosis has not yet been released. However, the emotion from Pearl and the rest of the team indicates the Tigers may be expecting the worst. Pearl said afterwards that he does not expect Okeke to play in the Elite 8.