Auburn star big man Johni Broome finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and four blocks in the Tigers’ 53-51 win Saturday over No. 6 Tennessee in his return to the court after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. Broome logged 33 minutes off the bench and played a significant role in Auburn’s seventh win over a ranked opponent this season.
Broome was deemed a game-time decision heading into the week and was listed as questionable to play on the official SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report. He entered the game with 17:20 remaining in the first half to applause from the sold-out crowd at Neville Arena.
Broome was the favorite to win national player of the year before going down with an injury against South Carolina earlier this month. The fifth-year senior came into the weekend averaging 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Auburn is the only team in the SEC (6-0) that has yet to lose in conference play.
Broome twisted his ankle with 13:45 remaining in Auburn’s narrow 66-63 win on the road over South Carolina on Jan. 11 and had to be carried off the court. Broome officially suffered a lower-ankle injury (instead of an upper-ankle injury), which could’ve led to a longer rehab process.
The injury against South Carolina wasn’t the first time Broome exited a game this season following an injury scare. Just three minutes into a win over Georgia State last month, Broome checked out with an apparent injury to his right shoulder. He underwent an MRI but was cleared to return for the team’s next game against Purdue.
The Tigers have won their last 11 games since losing to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge last month. Auburn and Broome host LSU next on Wednesday.
