Chuma Okeke has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will undergo surgery on Tuesday, coach Bruce Pearl announced Saturday.
Dr. James Andrews will perform the procedure.
“It’s just hard to take in," guard Bryce Brown said. "I don’t think Chuma deserves that at all.”
Okeke underwent an MRI on Saturday morning in Kansas City after injuring his knee late in the second half of Auburn’s 97-80 upset of top-seeded North Carolina in the Sweet 16. Okeke, who was in the midst of a career game against the Tar Heels, went down with the injury with 8:08 to play after his left knee buckled on an attempted drive to the basket.
Okeke immediately collapsed to the floor under the basket and clutched his left knee, writhing in pain as play stopped and trainers rushed to tend to him. He remained down for several minutes before getting up and limping off with the assistance of team trainers for further testing at Sprint Center.
The 6-foot-8 sophomore out of Atlanta finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block against UNC, dominating his matchup with Tar Heels double-double machine Luke Maye. Okeke, who has emerged as a somewhat reluctant star for Auburn in his second season, finishes the year averaging 12 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game while also leading the team in steals (69) and overall plus/minus on the year.
Okeke will remain in Kansas City with Auburn for the team’s Elite Eight matchup with Kentucky on Sunday (1:20 p.m. CT on CBS) before his surgery next week, according to an Auburn spokesman.
AL.com will update this post.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.