Johni Broome opens up on 'butting heads' moment Auburn had vs. Michigan

Johni Broome and his Auburn team are on to the Elite Eight. However, they were taken to their limit on Friday evening, as Michigan caused strife, confusion and frustration within the Tigers before Bruce Pearl’s squad pulled away in the end.

At one point, the Big Ten Tournament champions had Auburn wondering if they could do anything right, and it seemed like the Tigers were beginning to butt heads during a timeout. There was some jawing, and Pearl decided to let the team sit and think about how the game was going before sending them back into battle.

Evidently, the strategy worked for Auburn. Once they went on a run against Michigan in the second half, they never looked back, and now they’ll face off against No. 2 seed Michigan State on Sunday in the Elite Eight. Before all that though, Broome took some time to shed some light on what was going through his mind when the Tigers were down.

“We’re brothers at the end of the day. Brothers going to bump heads,” Broome stated, via the team’s postgame press conference. “Everybody on this [team] — on Auburn on wants to win. Sometimes to win, you’ve got to go through some adversity.

“Coach has confidence in us to be able to — we’re a player-led team sometimes. A couple guys said what we wanted to say, and you’ve got to listen to what your teammate has to say. After that, you shake it off and go out there and play hard for the coach, for Coach Pearl.”

That’s exactly what Broome and company did. He played incredible, pumping in 22 points and 16 rebounds. The Tigers’ Denver Jones was also electrifying, pouring on 20 points and grabbing four rebounds. Auburn freshman Tahaad Pettiford was once again sensational as well, adding 20 points and dishing out three assists.

As their attention turns to the Elite Eight, Auburn is a 5.5-point favorite against Michigan State, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Additionally, the Tigers boast -230 odds on the money line. Michigan State has +188 odds on the money line.

It remains to be seen if Johni Broome BROOME and the rest of Auburn can get the job done in the Elite Eight. They’re on memorable run at the moment, and they don’t want it to end. The Final Four potentially awaits.