A fun Saturday of college basketball was marred by a significant injury to arguably the sport’s best player this season.
During the Auburn Tigers’ 66-63 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks, standout center Johni Broome went down with an ankle injury that led to him being carried off of the court.
Broome underwent an MRI Sunday morning, which revealed a non-surgical ankle sprain, the school announced. While it’s good news he won’t need surgery, the injury will sideline him indefinitely, it
At 15-1 this season, Auburn is ranked No. 1 in NET and KenPom. And with Tennessee going down this week, the Tigers will be the No. 1 team in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 Polls come Monday. They were the favorites to win the SEC and the NCAA National Championship entering Saturday.
A major part of that is Broome, who’s currently the favorite to win National Player of the Year honors. The former Morehead State star is averaging 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game.
The Kentucky Wildcats won’t face Auburn until March 1st at Rupp Arena, so you’d think Broome will be back by then. However, his absence could open things up for teams like Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee to make a push for the SEC regular-season championship.
You hate to see anyone miss time due to injury, especially in what’s his final season of college basketball. Here’s to hoping Broome gets back on the court soon
