The list of top candidates for National Player of the Year in men’s college basketball includes just two names. One is Cooper Flagg, the stud freshman for Duke who dropped 42 points against Notre Dame on Saturday. The other is Johni Broome, the fifth-year senior forward at Auburn.
Broome has been putting up absurd numbers. He leads the Tigers with 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 aassists and 2.7 blocks per game. Some of his big outings include 21 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Ohio State, along with 20 points and 12 rebounds on the road during a loss at Duke, which has the nation’s toughest frontcourt defense.
On Saturday, however, Broome’s season for the ages took an unexpected turn as he suffered a serious ankle injury during the second half of the Tigers’ game at South Carolina. Broome needed help off the floor and did not return to the game. He sat on the bench and cheered on his teammates as they squeaked out a 66-63 road win, which will likely secure them a No. 1 spot in the next AP poll ranking following a 30-point loss by last week’s No. 1, Tennessee, at Florida earlier in the week.
After the game, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said that Broome had suffered a “significant” ankle injury. The team got good news on Sunday when an MRI revealed no extensive damage and will not require surgery, which could have ended Broome’s season. It is unclear just how long Broome will be out, but it’s highly probably that Auburn will have to play at least a few games without him.
In Broome’s absence, starting center Dylan Cardwell (5.5 ppg and 4.6 rpg) will need to have a larger role in the team’s offensive plans. The 6-foot-11 senior, who has played all five of his college seasons at Auburn, is also an elite rim protector in his own right. Senior forward Chaney Johnson (10.1 ppg and 5.3 pg on 60 percent shooting), who has been Auburn’s first player off the bench this season, will likely move into the starting lineup in Broome’s place.
Auburn’s frontcourt depth also includes freshman forward and former top-100 prospect Jahki Howard, along with Ja’Heim Hudson, a 6-foot-7 transfer from SMU who has played limited minutes of late. Pearl can also go small with 6-foot-7 senior forward Chad Baker-Mazara playing more at the four spot and move freshman point guard Tahaad Pettiford into the backcourt alongside Miles Kelly and Denver Jones.
Overlooked No More, Auburn’s Johni Broome Still Has Something to Prove
The Tigers’ senior forward began his career at Morehead State. Now he’s the frontrunner for national player of the year.This period of time without Broome could provide opportunities for the Tigers’ backcourt to improve. This group has been a definite upgrade from the ones Pearl has had in the past, but if this team has a weakness it’s the inefficiency that the guards can show at times.
Auburn can still be competitive in the SEC without Broome, but it will definitely be different. The SEC will be unforgiving, and with big tests coming up against Mississippi State, Georgia and Tennessee, the Tigers will not have much time to reinvent themselves while waiting for Broome’s ankle to heal.