The Auburn Tigers took down the Kentucky Wildcats 77-71 in overtime of their Elite Eight NCAA Tournament game on Sunday to advance to their first Final Four in school history, and they ended an incredible John Calipari streak in the process.
Kentucky led the entire first half and was up by as much as 11 in the game. They even carried a 35-30 lead into halftime. When Auburn came back to take a second half lead and then took the game to overtime and won, they did something rarely done: came back to beat a John Calipari team.
CBS Sports says the Auburn comeback win ended a streak of 37 straight NCAA Tournament games won by John Calipari teams when leading at halftime.
John Calipari-coached teams HAD won 37 straight NCAA Tournament games when leading at halftime. Thanks to Auburn, that streak is now over. pic.twitter.com/LSOtuIWxgo
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) March 31, 2019
This says a lot about Auburn, and even more about Calipari. His success at Kentucky has been admirable — he’s reached the Elite Eight seven times in 10 seasons. Moreover, he was incredibly successful at Memphis and UMass before taking the Kentucky job. There’s a reason why he’s one of our most bankable March Madness coaches.
And credit to Auburn for what they’ve done. Not only did they do the unthinkable by coming back to beat Kentucky without Chuma Okeke, but they also have beaten the murderer’s row of teams in the tournament: Kansas, North Carolina, and now Kentucky.
