Johni Broome injury update: Bruce Pearl shares latest on Auburn star after scary play vs. South Carolina

After Auburn held on for a come-from-behind victory over South Carolina on Saturday, the attention quickly turned to the health of Johni Broome. The Tigers big man left in the second half after a scary ankle injury and was quickly ruled out, and Bruce Pearl had an update afterward.

Broome went up for a rebound and landed on Chaney Johnson’s foot, rolling his ankle in the process. He immediately yelled in pain as he grabbed for his left leg, and he needed help from the training staff to get to the locker room.

Speaking on the SEC Now postgame show, Pearl said Broome had a “significant sprain” of his left ankle. He will undergo further testing Saturday night when Auburn returns from Columbia.

“He’s got a significant sprain,” Pearl said. “When we get back to Auburn tonight, we’ll get him an MRI and see if it’s anything else going on there.”

At the time of his injury, Broome had six points and three rebounds in 24 minutes of action. He entered Saturday’s game averaging 18.7 points and 11.2 rebounds, ranking fifth in the nation in the latter category. He’s also averaging 2.7 blocks through the first 15 games, including two in SEC play, as he continues to generate buzz as a potential Player of the Year candidate.

Auburn trailed South Carolina 40-34 at halftime, but the Tigers mounted a rally in the second half before eventually coming away with the 66-63 victory. They held a 64-63 lead with 29.5 seconds to play, which led to a Gamecocks timeout. Nick Pringle then drew a foul on Dylan Cardwell out of the huddle, but he missed both free throw attempts.

Saturday’s injury is the second for Broome this year. He previously hurt his shoulder late in non-conference play, but didn’t miss any significant time as a result, quickly returning for the next game against Purdue.

After a victory over Missouri to open SEC play, Bruce Pearl summed up the impact Johni Broome and the other big men have on the Auburn attack. He stressed the need for the big men to play well if the Tigers want to stay competitive, and they did just that against Mizzou.

“Size matters. Size matters in jewelry and it matters in basketball,” Pearl said. “Our guys, Chaney, Dylan, Johni and look, Chad Baker. His length, the length of our guards. So they did a great job on Mitchell. I think the other guy to point out is (Anthony) Robinson. Robinson’s been tearing it up and he didn’t get a bucket tonight. He’s one of their better players.”