ATLANTA – Johni Broome stood in front of the Auburn-dominant crowd at State Farm Arena with his hands raised above his head, adrenaline likely aiding his elbow pain as the buzzer sounded.
Broome etched himself deeper in Auburn basketball lore as he led the top-seeded Tigers to their second Final Four in program history. The national player of the year candidate led Auburn with 25 points and 14 rebounds, far and away the top statistical performer Sunday night.
Auburn’s next-highest individual totals in points and rebounds were 10 and six, respectively.
The Tigers advanced out of the NCAA Tournament’s South Regional in Atlanta’s first March Madness event since 2018. Auburn will play fellow No. 1 seed Florida at 6:09 p.m. on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Tx.
Broome’s team-leading performance wasn’t anything irregular. The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder has led Auburn in both scoring and rebounding 22 times this season.
It was his cinematic return from injury that will remain in the minds of Auburn fans long after his college career ends in the next few days.
Broome exited with 10:37 left in the game after landing awkwardly on his right arm. The superstar center’s arm hung at his side as he walked to the locker room, wincing.
The Tiger crowd was as quiet as it had been all game as Auburn coach Bruce Pearl substituted Chaney Johnson in with center Dylan Cardwell. Pearl needed his second- and third-best bigs to hold the Spartans in the paint and protect a 50-40 lead.
“When Johni went out, my heart dropped, but he came to me and Dylan and was like, ‘You might have to finish this for us,’” Johnson said. “We were just like, ‘Alright, we’ve got to lock in and continue to be tough because toughness wins in March.’”
Tiger fans were quiet until Cardwell was tagged for his third foul two minutes later, inciting a barrage of boos. It was a dangerous moment for the Tigers with one starting big in foul trouble and the other being examined for injury.
Those boos quickly turned to cheers as Broome jogged out of the locker room right on time and immediately checked back into the game for Cardwell.
“When Johni came out of the locker room, I hadn’t talked to the doctor, but I just asked him, ‘Are you good to go?’” Pearl said. “He said, ‘I am.’ I said, ‘Well, get ... in there.’”
Most of State Farm Arena erupted when Broome nailed a 3-pointer 49 seconds later, claiming a 60-48 lead.
“I just wanted to help my teammates, and if that’s coming out and playing and hitting one shot and grabbing a rebound, I was going to do it,” Broome said. “If that was just sitting on the sidelines and supporting, I was going to do it.”
Broome’s self-evaluation of his performance was noticeably more modest. Just a day after Broome criticized his 22-point, 16-rebound game against Michigan, he had little to say about his outing on Sunday.
“I played alright,” Broome said. “I mean, we won, so I’m happy we’re still dancing, man.”
Pearl said Broome’s elbow will be fine, though he expects his soreness will increase on Monday.
Broome didn’t move his arm much after the game ended. He danced with one arm, gave left-handed high fives and even cut State Farm Arena’s nets down with his left hand.
“Words can’t even describe it,” Broome said. “To stand on top of the ladder in front of all the Auburn fans still being there traveling and witnessing as well and looking down and seeing my teammates, the whole Auburn family, it just means the world to me.”
Auburn asserted dominance early with a 17-0 scoring run. The Spartans, who held an 8-6 lead after the first four minutes, fell silent offensively.
Michigan State made three of its first six shots from the floor before shooting 0-for-10 during Auburn’s 17-point burst.
Miles Kelly sparked the run with a pair of midrange jumpers on back-to-back possessions. The Georgia Tech transfer took Auburn’s first lead, a 10-8 advantage, with 14:41 to go in the half.
Kelly came back with a 3-pointer a minute later to keep the run moving. Broome added five points of his own to help the Tigers take a 23-8 lead by the 10:29 mark.
The Spartans battled back with a 12-4 run of their own, whittling Auburn’s lead down to 27-22. Auburn never let Michigan State get closer than five points to its lead.
Broome’s return helped the Tigers close out a Michigan State program known for its proficiency in the clutch.
“It wasn’t the points he scored that got us,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “It was just he was 10-for-13. That’s why he’s an All-American. That’s why he’s a player of the year candidate.”
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