Report: Auburn's Okeke has torn ACL in left knee

Auburn's Chuma Okeke has a torn ACL in his left knee and will undergo surgery Tuesday, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Okeke suffered the injury in the second half of the Tigers' 97-80 win over North Carolina on Friday. He had 20 points and 11 rebounds before leaving the game.

The sophomore forward led Auburn in rebounding (6.8) and steals (1.8) and was its third-leading scorer (12.0) during the regular season. Okeke was also having a strong NCAA Tournament, averaging 15 points, seven boards, and three steals per contest.

Head coach Bruce Pearl addressed the loss of Okeke postgame.

"He was the best player on the floor and he's been that way since mid-February," Pearl told NCAA.com's Andy Katz. "So versatile, such a hard worker. Our heart really aches for him right now and we're going to have to find a way kind of figure how we can survive and advance without him."

Okeke's injury overshadowed Auburn's historic win as the Tigers claimed their first Elite Eight berth since 1986, but guard Bryce Brown vowed not to let it derail their championship hopes.

"It was definitely an emotional moment," Brown told Katz. "We want to pick our brother up and let him know he's not by himself. We're going to do it for him ... we're not going to fall. We're not going to break apart. We're going to elevate."

Auburn plays SEC rival Kentucky on Sunday for a Final Four berth.