Bruce Pearl makes case for Johni Broome as National Player of the Year

While Auburn fell against Alabama on Saturday, Tigers center Johni Broome shined. After the game, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl praised Broome for his performance in the 93-91 overtime loss.

“I thought Johni Broome demonstrated to the country why he’s the National Player of the Year — or should be, in my opinion,” Pearl said. “As I explained to Johni after the game, that’s what I expect from him. It was great to see him step up. Just need him to continue to step up, because it was great to see him be capable of that.”

In the loss, Broome erupted for 34 points, eight rebounds, three steals and five blocks while shooting 15-28 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arc. Moreover, Broome only committed one turnover against the Crimson Tide.

Pearl believes Broome could’ve scored even more points if a few calls would’ve gone his way. Despite putting up 28 field-goal attempts in the contest, Broome only shot five free throws.

“Johni Broome took 15 or 16 of his first shots inside the paint and did not get fouled once. And I have an issue with that,” Pearl said. “He could be the National Player of the Year, and he took 15 or 16 shots from 2 and didn’t shoot a free throw. That’s hard to overcome.”

Nonetheless, the standout performance was a much-needed showing for Broome, who had failed to score double figures in Auburn’s previous two games. Broome is averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 blocks per game this season on 50.6% shooting.

Alas, perhaps Broome’s best argument for being National Player of the Year is his team’s success. Auburn is the No. 1 team in the country and sits alone atop the SEC, which many experts consider the strongest conference in college basketball history.

Of course, even the best teams aren’t infallible. For the first time this season, Auburn is on a two-game losing streak. Pearl knows Tigers must recompose themselves as they prepare to make a deep run in the postseason.

“We’re in postseason now. We’re shifting gears to postseason, and postseason is all about step up. It’s just all about step up. As you get seeded a little bit better, so you have a better chance to advance through the tournament — which you earned and we worked for.”

As the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, Auburn will enjoy a double-bye. Johni Broome and his fellow Tigers will play their first game in the tournament on Friday at 1 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.