Tag: Johni Broome

Recap: Auburn emphatically punches ticket into SEC Tournament Semis

If you had any doubts about Auburn’s ability to make a deep run into March, the Tigers proved that pessimism was unwarranted on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

If you had any doubts about Auburn’s ability to make a deep run into March, the Tigers proved that pessimism was unwarranted on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s Tigers absolutely bullied the South Carolina Gamecocks for 40 minutes in an 86-55 SEC Tournament Quarterfinal win. If not for a few early offensive rebounds by B.J. Mack and the other Gamecock forwards this thing would have never been close.

Auburn’s No. 7 ranked KenPom defense showed up massively, holding South Carolina to a measly 55 points in the game. The aforementioned Mack along with other star Meechie Johnson combined for just 17 points, which is nearly 11 points lower than their per game average this season.

On the offensive end, things didn’t change much from what we saw in the regular season. The Tigers ran their sets through star forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], relying heavily on the junior’s presence to not only score but create open looks for the guards.

Auburn’s best player finished his afternoon with a game-high 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Frontcourt mate [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] played a solid game as well, but it was the backcourt quartet of [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag], [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag], [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] that stood out on Broadway.

Baker-Mazara was his normal “stat-stuffing” self with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Jones, Donaldson and Holloway shot an extremely efficient 50% from the field for 21 combined points.

Senior [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] was his usual, “sparkplug”, self off the bench as well, adding 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

If Bruce Pearl can get that kind of production and efficiency from his guards during the remainder of the postseason, the sky is truly the limit for Auburn in March.

Next up for the Tigers is a matchup right back in Bridgestone Arena against Mississippi State at 12:00 PM Central with a trip to the SEC Championship on the line.

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Auburn has 84% chance to beat South Carolina on Friday

ESPN predicts that Auburn will end South Carolina’s dreams of winning an SEC Tournament championship on Friday.

It is day three of the SEC Tournament in Nashville, and we finally get a chance to watch Auburn begin its journey toward a tournament championship.

First on the menu for the Tigers is a rematch with No. 5-seed South Carolina, who defeated Arkansas on Thursday to advance to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The game will be a rematch of a game played on Valentine’s Day in Neville Arena that Auburn won, 101-61. [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] each crossed the 20-point mark while [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] led the team in rebounds with five.

Will South Carolina get the revenge that they desperately crave? ESPN is not giving them much of a chance.

According to the latest data from its’ matchup predictor, ESPN is forecasting an 84% chance of an Auburn victory, which would set the Tigers up a date with either No. 1-seed Tennessee or No. 9-seed Mississippi State on Saturday at noon CT.

The Tigers hold an advantage in every major category, with the widest margin being points scored per game. Auburn averages 83.5 points per game while the Gamecocks score 72.6. Auburn’s defense was too much for South Carolina to handle in the first meeting between these two squads, as they outshot the Gamecocks, 61% to 35%, from the field.

It did not help matters that three players — Collin Murray-Boyles, BJ Mack, and Meechie Johnson — scored 90% of South Carolina’s points. As usual, Auburn spread wealth in the game as eight players scored at least six points, with three reaching double-figures.

The Tigers and Gamecocks square off at 2:30 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Click here to get the full preview of Friday’s game.

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Three Tigers receive All-SEC Team honors

Auburn Forwards Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams along with freshman Aden Holloway receive All-SEC honors.

Three Auburn Tigers earned spots on the SEC men’s basketball all-conference teams on Monday. Forwards [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] along with freshman [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] received honors from the league.

Broome, who was in the running for SEC Player of the Year, earned a spot on the All-SEC First Team as well as the All-SEC Defensive Team after a spectacular junior season in which he averaged 16.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

Broome improved in all three statistical categories during his second season on the Plains. His 2.1 dimes per contest was a career-high.

Despite playing nearly 2 fewer minutes per fixture this season, Auburn’s leader produced nearly identical defensive statistics of 2.3 blocks and 0.9 steals as he did a year ago. Most notably, Broome was able to stay out of foul trouble by cutting his 3 fouls per game down to 2.4

Front-court mate Jaylin Williams found himself on the All-SEC Second Team after assembling the best season of his career in 2023-2024. The senior put up career-highs in points per game (12.9), field goal percentage (57.7%), and 3-point percentage (39.7).

The longest-tenured Tiger also enjoyed his best free throw percentage (82.5) since his freshmen season when he only appeared in 14 games.

Five-star freshmen Aden Holloway also received honors from the league as he was named to the All-SEC Freshmen Team after an up-and-down first season in front of the Jungle.

After scoring 18 points in the first game of the year against Baylor, Holloway struggled to find his stroke from beyond the 3-point arc but still managed to command [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s offense well.

The 19-year-old from Charlotte finished the season averaging nearly 3 assists per game while committing less than a turnover per outing. Even with the shooting struggles, Holloway managed to finish fifth on the team with 7.8 points per game.

Auburn’s 3 selections to the All-SEC team are tied with Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee and South Carolina for the second most selections in the conference.

Only Kentucky (4), had more players selected to All-SEC Teams.

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What is Auburn’s path to an SEC Tournament championship?

The No. 4 seed Tigers open the SEC Tournament on Friday afternoon. How difficult will their championship journey be?

Auburn basketball closed the regular season on Saturday by defeating Georgia, 92-78, at Neville Arena in front of a sold-out crowd.

The Tigers locked up the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament with the win and will enjoy a “double-bye” before playing its first game on Friday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. How difficult will its conference championship journey be? Let’s examine the possibilities.

It all starts Wednesday when No. 12 Arkansas faces No. 13 Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. CT in the SEC Tournament opener. The Tigers were 3-0 against these two teams in regular season competition, winning each game by an average of 24.6 points. Early on, Arkansas has been given a 74.7% chance to beat Vanderbilt according to ESPN’s matchup predictor despite the game being played just a few miles from Vanderbilt’s campus.

The winner of that game will square off with No. 5 seed South Carolina 25 minutes following the conclusion of No. 8 LSU‘s game with No. 9 Mississippi State on Thursday. The Gamecocks wrapped up the No. 5 seed by finishing 13-5 in SEC play, and 25-6 overall. No matter the outcome of Arkansas-Vanderbilt, South Carolina should win the game, forcing a Friday afternoon date on Broadway with the Auburn Tigers.

Friday’s rematch between Auburn and South Carolina will occur 25 minutes following the conclusion of No. 1 Tennessee’s game with either LSU or Mississippi State. Should the Gamecocks get the opportunity to face Auburn again, you can expect Lamont Paris’ squad to be heavily motivated as they dropped a 101-61 contest to Auburn on Feb. 14.

The expected outcome of Friday’s action is No. 4 Auburn prevailing over the Gamecocks, and No. 1 Tennessee to earn a debut win. If so, the Tigers and Vols will meet Saturday at noon CT to kick off the semi-final Saturday in Nashville. Auburn faced Tennessee once this season, dropping a 92-84 decision on Feb. 28 in Knoxville. Auburn’s [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] scored 23 points and pulled in nine rebounds in the game, but the Tigers had no answer for Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, who scored 39 points in the Vols’ win.

If Auburn is still standing on Championship Sunday, it will face either No. 2 seed Kentucky or No. 3 Alabama, with the possibility of facing No. 6 Florida or No. 7 Texas A&M still on the table. Auburn is 2-3 against this slate, with its wins coming over Alabama and Texas A&M at home. Both wins were by double-digits.

The Tigers closed out the season with three straight wins, and hope to carry that momentum into Nashville this week. Auburn’s quest for cutting down the nets begins Friday afternoon.

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Recap: Auburn finishes regular season with home victory over UGA

Recap: Auburn finishes regular season with home victory over UGA

It was a happy senior night for the Auburn basketball team on Saturday night as an emotional [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] won their final game in front of the Auburn Family.

Junior [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was also honored, as we his all but certain to leave for the NBA after this season concludes.

The night was especially special for the latter, who started his career in Athens playing for tonight’s opponent, Georgia. Johnson was his usual self all game long, providing the “firecracker-like” energy that has made him a fan-favorite on the Plains.

The guard finished his final game at Neville Arena with 6 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, and one final technical foul.

As for Moore and Cardwell, the duo were important contributors in the 92-78 win, scoring 13 combined points off the bench. Cardwell also tacked on a season-high 4 assists.

Auburn’s star of senior night ironically happened to be newcomer Denver Jones. His 21 points paced all scorers in the game, while his 7/9 3-point shooting night should give him a load of confidence heading into postseason play.

Star forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was quite in the game and will most likely come up short in the SEC Player of the Year race, although bigger things are probably on his mind.

While winning on senior night is always important, tonight’s victory was extra crucial considering Auburn leapfrogged South Carolina in the SEC Standings to finish fourth.

That finish allows the Tigers to wait until the quarterfinals before they take the floor in Nashville for the SEC Tournament next week.

Auburn could end up playing the Gamecocks in the quarterfinal round on Friday, March 15 at 2:30 PM CST.

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs will take on Vanderbilt in the first round on Wednesday.

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Auburn basketball has a 95% chance to beat Georgia on Saturday

ESPN analytics expects Auburn to earn a huge win over rival Georgia to close out the regular season.

The final weekend of the regular season is here, and ESPN predicts Auburn will close out conference play with a big win.

Ahead of Saturday’s game against Georgia, ESPN’s matchup predictor is forecasting Auburn to beat the Bulldogs convincingly by giving them a 94.9% chance of victory. If this prediction comes true, it will be Auburn’s second win over Georgia this season.

Auburn bests Georgia in every major category, with the largest discrepancy being points scored per game. Auburn scores an average of 83.2 points per game while Georgia posts 74.9 points per game. Auburn’s [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] scores an average of 16.4 points per game, which tops Georgia’s leading scorer, Noah Thomasson, who scores 12.8 points per game.

Saturday’s game is one of the day’s middle-tier games in matchup quality. The game between Auburn and Georgia is the No. 23 of the day according to ESPN with a matchup quality score of 74.9. In addition to giving Auburn a high-percentage chance to win, ESPN predicts the Tigers to beat Georgia by 19.7 points.

Auburn squares off with Georgia on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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Recap: Auburn passes final road test, takes down Missouri

Recap: Auburn passes final road test, takes down Missouri

The Auburn Tigers are officially on pace for a two-day bye in the SEC Tournament.

Bruce Pearl’s squad took care of business on the road at Missouri on Tuesday night by handing Mizzou its 17th-straight SEC loss.

The home team gave Auburn all it could handle in the first half thanks to some solid play by stars Sean East II and Nick Honor, but a quick start to the second half from [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and the away Tigers gave Auburn some much-needed breathing room.

Broome ended up second among Auburn scorers with 15 points in the win, while front-court mate Jaylin Williams provided his best output since returning from injury a week ago by scoring a team-high 17 points on an efficient 6/8 from the field.

Guard [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] was also a star once again. Interestingly, the junior played a team-high 28 minutes in the win. It looks like head coach Bruce Pearl is trusting his most electric stat-stuffing guard to soak up the minutes lost with [autotag]Lior Berman[/autotag] out for the season.

Auburn’s win was heavily expected, but it is still worth commending nonetheless. The Tigers now control their own destiny in the hunt for a top 4 seed in the SEC Tournament when they finish the season at Neville Arena on Saturday against Georgia.

As for Missouri, the Tigers nightmare regular season will come to a close in Baton Rouge on Saturday. They’ll have to run the table in Nashville against higher seeds if they want to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

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Photos: Auburn gets revenge on Mississippi State

Check out the best images from Auburn’s 78-63 win over Mississippi State!

Revenge is sweet, just ask the Auburn Tigers.

The No. 11 Tigers avenged a loss to Mississippi State on Saturday by taking down the Bulldogs, 78-63 on Saturday in Neville Arena in Auburn. [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] led the team with 17 points and six rebounds. [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] joined Broome by reaching double-figures in points.

With the win, Auburn kicks off the month of March in style with a key win that will provide needed momentum heading into the final week of the regular season.

Here are the best images from Auburn’s win over Mississippi State on Saturday.

Social media reacts to Auburn’s win over Mississippi State

Auburn fans are celebrating the Tigers’ return to the win column!

The No. 11 Auburn Tigers returned to the win column on Saturday by knocking off Mississippi State at home, 78-63, on Saturday in Neville Arena.

Auburn was able to avenge a January loss to the Bulldogs by shooting 50% from the field and 47% from three-point territory. That proved to be important as Mississippi State managed to out-rebound Auburn and score two more points in the paint than the Tigers.

Four players reached double-digits in points, led by [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag]’s 17-point showing. [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] added 15 points while [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] scored 10 each.

Auburn fans are celebrating their team’s win over Mississippi State. Here are the best social media reactions from Auburn fans following Saturday’s game with Mississippi State.

Recap: Auburn hangs on to beat Georgia in Athens

Forward Chad Baker-Mazara may be one of the newest Tigers on the roster, but the junior was a leader on both ends of the floor in Athens. 

No. 14 Auburn came into Saturday’s matchup against Georgia with one major question mark. After a week off, head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] had to figure out how his Tigers were going to replace the production of injured star forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag].

Pearl got the answer to that question almost instantly as Auburn rolled to a 97-76 win over Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens.

Forward [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] may be one of the newest Tigers on the roster, but the junior was a leader on both ends of the floor in Athens.

Baker-Mazara scored or assisted on 17 of the Tigers’ first 27 points as they got out to an early 27-15 lead. From there, fellow first-year Tigers [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] and [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag] picked up the slack.

Holloway was particularly impressive, as his 5 threes on the road were more than the freshmen had made over his last four SEC games combined. Johnson made an equal impact by scoring 16 points in his first start of the season replacing the aforementioned Williams.

Although Auburn never trailed in the contest, the lead did get as low as three points when the Bulldogs bit back early in the second half off the back of guard Noah Thomasson.

UGA’s best player may have made the game interesting but it was ultimately Auburn’s best performer that took over in the win. Following the Thomasson led run, junior [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] scored 7 straight to balloon the lead back to double-digits.

The SEC Player of the Year candidate seemed quite all night but managed to finish with yet another double-double, scoring 16 points and adding 13 rebounds,

Broome’s 16 points tied Chaney Johnson for second on the team behind Baker-Mazara’s 25.

Auburn’s 97-76 win proved [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s squad can look dominant amid injury issues. If the Tigers can click like this once Williams gets healthy, the second or third weekend of the NCAA Tournament looks more and more likely.

With that being said, the Tigers will have their hands full when they take on a very good Tennessee team on Wednesday night in Knoxville.

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs will travel to LSU on Tuesday night with a chance to get back on track.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch