Auburn's Johni Broome, who's arguably been the best player in the country through the first half of the college basketball season, will not require surgery on his sprained left ankle, a school source told CBS Sports. The timeline for Broome's return isn't known, other than he definitely will not be back for at least the next two games, the source said. The Tigers' next two tilts come against 14-2 teams, hosting Mississippi State on Tuesday then playing at Georgia on Saturday.
Broome twisted the ankle with 13:45 remaining in Auburn's narrow 66-63 win Saturday at South Carolina and had to be carried off the court. Some good news: Broome suffered a lower-ankle injury (instead of an upper-ankle injury, which is much more likely to lead to long-term rehabilitation), which gives him a chance to return in the near-future, though CBS Sports' source said the team would not be rushing Broome back.
It's the second injury issue for Broome, who has exceeded lofty expectations heading into this season. The preseason All-American had a right shoulder injury in mid-December during a game against Georgia State. After initial worry about some missed time, Broome wound up playing four days later against Purdue, scoring 23 points in 29 minutes in an 87-69 Auburn win.
The fifth-year senior is averaging 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 blocks on what could wind up being the best team in Auburn history.
The 15-1 Tigers are poised to move to No. 1 in Monday's AP Top 25 rankings refresh after winning their eighth straight game. Auburn last made it to the top of the AP poll during a three-week January-into-February stretch of the 2021-22 season, which marked the first time Auburn had ever been No. 1.
