But in the midst of their 66-63 win over the Gamecocks, Bruce Pearl and the second-ranked Tigers may have lost their star forward Johni Broome for an extended period of time.
Near the midway point of the second half, Broome appeared to have sustained a significant left ankle injury while attempting to go up for a layup. He had to be helped off the court by two members of Auburn’s training staff and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Broome’s injury comes at an unfortunate time for Auburn, who is expected to top Tennessee for the top spot in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Sports Coaches Poll on Monday following the Volunteers loss on Tuesday to No. 8 Florida.
In 15 games this season, the 6-foot-10 forward has added his name to the list of early contenders for National Player of the Year, leading Auburn in points (18.7), rebounds (11.2), assists (3.4) and blocks (2.7) per game. His 11.2 rebounds and 18.7 rebounds per game rank first and second respectively in the SEC.
Auburn (15-1 overall, 3-0 in SEC) is scheduled to host No. 13 Mississippi State at Neville Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. ET.
Here’s the latest on Broome’s injury:
Johni Broome injury update
Broome appeared to have sustained an apparent left ankle injury at the 13:45 mark of the second half after rolling his left ankle while going for a rebound. As he was falling down to the ground, Broome was holding onto his left ankle.
Here’s another look at the play where it looked like Broome rolled his ankle while underneath the basket attempting to get a rebound:
As shown by Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman on X (formerly Twitter), Broome was seen favoring his right leg as he was helped off the court by members of Auburn’s training staff.
Broome did not return in Auburn’s 66-63 win over South Carolina, ending his day with six points on 3 of 11 shooting from the field, three rebounds and two blocks.
Bruce Pearl on Johni Broome injury
Pearl provided an update on Broome during his postgame news conference by saying that the 6-foot-10 forward has a sprained ankle and that he will undergo more tests once the Tigers return to campus.
‘Johni Broome has a sprained ankle,’ Pearl said. ‘We’ll go back to Auburn and get (an) MRI and X-Rays and see if there is anything more.
Johni Broome stats
Broome entered Saturday’s game at South Carolina ranked fifth in the country in rebounds per game at 11.2. He additionally ranks fifth in the conference in field goal shooting percentage at 56.2%.
Here’s full breakout at Broome’s stats this season at Auburn:
2024-25: 18.7 points per game, 11.2 rebounds per game, 2.7 blocks per game and 56.2% field goal shooting (29.3% from beyond the arc)
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