On This Date: Kyle Guy Hits Clutch Free Throws to Lift Virginia Over Auburn in Thrilling Final Four Ending

Three years ago today, Kyle Guy scored six points in the final seven seconds of the Final Four to send the Cavaliers to the National Championship

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
Apr 6, 2022 2:55 AM EDT
Original:
Apr 6, 2022

Three years ago today, Kyle Guy stamped himself as a Virginia basketball legend by hitting three of the clutchest free throws in Final Four history to save the Cavaliers at the last second and beat Auburn to send the Wahoos to the National Championship Game.

After the dramatic game Virginia won in the Elite Eight to reach the program's first Final Four appearance since 1984, the Cavaliers seemed well on their way to a less stressful victory against Auburn in the semifinals when they went up by ten points with five minutes remaining.

Things did not quite pan out that way.

UVA trailed Auburn by three points at halftime, but the Cavaliers put together a very strong second half led by Ty Jerome, who finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the game. Jerome hit a three-pointer to give Virginia a 57-47 lead with less than five minutes to go.

Then, Jerome committed his third and fourth personal fouls in the next 30 seconds and was forced to exit the game. As soon as Jerome left the floor, the Tigers began a furious comeback and seized all momentum in the game.

Bryce Brown hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, then Danjel Purifoy hit a jumper and Brown converted on yet another triple to put the Tigers in front 59-57 with less than two minutes to go.

Jerome came back in the game but missed back-to-back three-pointers and the Cavaliers continued to trail by two points with 30 seconds left. Virginia was forced to foul and Anfernee McLemore made a pair of free throws to cap the 14-0 Auburn run and put the Tigers up 61-57 with just 17 seconds left.

What came next was equally as important as Guy's clutch free throws that came moments later. Virginia, not known for its ability to score quickly, worked the ball to Guy in the right corner, but he was not open by any means. With Samir Doughty right up on him, Guy elevated and swished an extremely difficult three-pointer to bring it back to a one-point game with less than seven seconds left. That was UVA's first basket in over five minutes and without it, the Cavaliers certainly would have lost the game.

Kihei Clark fouled Jared Harper, who made the first free throw, but missed the second, and UVA got the ball back down by two points with seven seconds left. The Tigers then fouled Virginia a few times as they tried to avoid giving UVA a clean look at a game-tying or game-winning shot.

Jerome was immediately fouled after Harper's missed free throw. It stopped Jerome's momentum down the floor, but it also stopped the clock and Jerome was still closer to his own basket than he was to half court when the foul occurred.

UVA inbounded the ball and Auburn tried to give another foul, as Bryce Brown tugged Jerome's jersey, but it was not called. Jerome lost control of the ball as it hit his own foot and he proceeded to pick it up with two hands before continuing to dribble. Auburn fans will be quick to remind you that that sequence technically constituted a double dribble. However, the play also technically should have warranted a foul on Brown before the double dribble. In the end, the result was the same. Brown grabbed Jerome as he collected the ball and crossed half court. In hindsight, the Tigers likely would have been better off letting Jerome go, as he would have had to hoist up a difficult shot from near half court.

Instead, UVA was able to inbound the ball at half court with 1.5 seconds left on the clock. Jerome passed the ball to Kyle Guy in the left corner, where he caught it and turned to fire up a three-pointer for the win. Auburn's Samir Doughty was aggressive on his closeout and made contact with Guy around the waist as he released the ball. Guy's three-point attempt was just short and bounced off the rim, but the referees called a foul on Doughty for the contact and for not allowing Guy space to land, sending him to the line for three free throw attempts.

Free throws are easy, right? Why else would they be called free throws? It's an unguarded shot attempt from 15 feet away from the basket. The national average for free throw percentage in college basketball hovers around 67-70% each season. Kyle Guy was a career 80.6% free throw shooter in his time at Virginia.

These shots, however, were no ordinary free throws. Let's just say there was a little extra pressure:

UVA was trailing by two points with just 0.6 seconds remaining on the clock
72,711 people were watching from inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis as well as millions more watching from home
On the greatest stage in college basketball - the Final Four
With Virginia's season and redemption run hanging in the balance...

No problem for Kyle Guy.

He stepped to the line and calmly sank all three free throws to put UVA back in front.

Auburn tried a full-court pass to get a last-second shot up, but it was well defended by the Cavaliers and Virginia escaped with the thrilling victory. As the buzzer sounded, Guy's teammates swarmed him in the corner of the floor and lifted him up like a scene out of a sports movie unfolding in real life.

Virginia Cavaliers guard Kyle Guy celebrates after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the semifinals of the 2019 men's Final Four at US Bank Stadium. — Photo courtesy of Shanna Lockwood/USA TODAY Sports

Two days later, Guy scored 24 points in the title game against Texas Tech to help Virginia capture its first National Championship in program history. Kyle Guy was subsequently named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.

With an unimaginable amount of pressure on his shoulders, Kyle Guy displayed incredible composure and saved Virginia's title run in an unforgettable finish at the Final Four.

See more Virginia men's basketball news and content: Virginia Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated

See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated