No. 6 Tennessee keeping prep the same for No. 1 Auburn with or without Johni Broome

No. 6 Tennessee isn’t changing the way it prepares for No. 1 Auburn, with or without Johni Broome. The SEC’s availability report Friday night should shed some light on the status of Broome and his ankle injury, but the test the Vols are facing Saturday night on the road is the same either way

“We’ll prepare (the same),” head coach Rick Barnes said Friday, “because it’s no different going into a game when you might prepare for somebody to get in foul trouble. They’re gone, you got to be ready for who comes in behind them. And so you go about it the same way.” 

Auburn (17-1, 5-0 SEC) and Tennessee (17-2, 4-2) are scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN at Neville Arena. ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live from Auburn Saturday morning.

Broome has missed the last two games since being injured in the second half at South Carolina on January 11. He leads Auburn in points (17.9 per game), rebounds (10.7), assists (3.2) and minutes (27.4) while shooting 54.7% from the field. 

Johni Broome’s last 3 games vs. Vols: 51 points, 25 rebounds, 8 blocks, 5 assists 

Broome had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes in Auburn’s 92-84 loss at Tennessee last season, when Dalton Knecht erupted with 27 of his 39 points in the second half. 

Broome had 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in 32 minutes in a 79-70 win over Tennessee in March 2023, the last time the Vols went to Auburn. He had 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in a 46-43 loss at Food City Center in February 2023.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl addressed Broome’s injury during his press conference on Thursday.

“I’ll know more (Friday) and Saturday,” Pearl said, according to Auburn Live. “I don’t know whether he’s questionable or probable, but I do know he’s going to try and move around a little bit today and we’ll just have to see how he does.”

The SEC injury report will be issued by both teams Friday night, with players dealing with injuries or illness designated as available, probable, questionable, doubtful or out. The injury report will be updated pregame Saturday evening, with players listed as available, game-time decision or out.

Without Broome the last two weeks, Auburn beat Mississippi State 88-66 at home and won 70-68 at Georgia on Saturday. Auburn did not have a midweek game this week.

“I would think that if you ask him,” Barnes said of Pearl, “he maybe (started the season) thinking this might have been one of the deepest teams he’s ever had. And when you start, early in the year they play 10 guys, you’re prepared for something when you lose someone like Johni.”

Dylan Cardwell, Ja’Heim Hudson have increased roles with Johni Broome out

Senior center Dylan Cardwell (5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game) and SMU transfer forward Ja’Heim Hudson (1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per game) have helped fill the void left by Broome. 

Hudson had five points and three rebounds in 18 minutes in the win at Georgia, while Cardwell had two points, three assists, four blocks and seven rebounds.

“Dylan Cardwell impacted the game with his defense,” Pearl said, “his blocked shots and his offensive rebounding in a huge way. We were plus-18 with Dylan on the floor … we don’t win the game without Ja’Heim Hudson. We just don’t. He plays 18 minutes in that game, he played really good defense. He kept Georgia’s size off the boards and that’s what a team is all about. 

“Like, no matter what happens this year, no matter where we go, what we do, we would not have beaten Georgia at Georgia without Hudson.”