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Johni Broome shares message to Auburn teammates after dropping three of final four games

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•03/16/25•

BarkleyTruax

Tennessee Basketball, Auburn | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
(Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) makes a post move as Auburn Tigers take on Tennessee Volunteers at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. Auburn Tigers defeated Tennessee Volunteers 53-51.

Top-seeded Auburn was knocked out of the SEC Tournament in the semifinals by Tennessee 70-65 on Saturday. The loss gave the Tigers its third loss in four games after beginning the season 27-2.

After the game, Auburn star Johni Broome spoke on his team’s behalf regarding their recent string of losses. He explained how his group is choosing not to hang on to those defeats. Instead, he revealed that they’re choosing to move forward and look toward their next opportunity after sending a message to his team after the game.

“Now, we’re looking ahead to the March Madness tournament,” Broome said. “The first two we dropped, [we were] looking forward to the SEC tournament. It hurts but we have to learn from it, watch film. We’ll try to get better going into March Madness.”

Broome was a bright spot in Auburn’s loss to Tennessee. He scored 23 points on 9 of 13 shooting and hauled in seven rebounds during 35 minutes on the court. Still, it wasn’t enough to get the job done against the Volunteers.

To head coach Bruce Pearl, he’s not panicking after Auburn’s late-season skid. To him, his group lost to three NCAA Tournament teams — two of which might be a No. 2-seed or better when the final bracket is released.

“We lost to Alabama, Tennessee and at Texas A&M. Yeah, we’re panicked,” Pearl said. “We lost to some great teams. We lost at the buzzer against Alabama. We had possessions here. Yeah, we’re panicked. I can hardly wait till next weekend to start playing again. Let’s get to Sunday, find out where we’re going, find out who we’re playing and let’s get back to work. I’m looking forward, not back.”

The loss to Alabama came in overtime, but the loss on the road to Texas A&M saw the Aggies never trail. They ultimately defeated Auburn 83-72 in front of their home crowd. The Tennessee semifinal game was a different story, with the Tigers leading at halftime but eventually trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half.

Now, the Tigers can do exactly what Pearl has been preaching and move forward. They will now turn their attention toward the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal, which is set to be revealed on ESPN beginning at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Many experts have Auburn as not only a No. 1 seed, but the top overall seed in the tournament for what they’ve been able to accomplish this season. They’ll see if that’s the case after the conclusion of Sunday’s championship games.