No. 1 seed Auburn punched its ticket to the Final Four of the men’s NCAA Tournament, but it may have come at a cost.
The Tigers defeated Michigan State 70-64 in the Elite Eight Sunday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, advancing to the Final Four for the first time since 2019. However, star player Johni Broome sustained dual injuries to his left leg and right elbow in the vicory.
Despite Broome returning and finishing the game, his status for the Final Four matchup against No. 1 seed Florida Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET from San Antonio, Texas, is in the air. The 6-foot-10 forward and Auburn are seeking their first championship game appearance against a Gators team that beat them 90-81 earlier this season in Auburn, Alabama.
Broome, the SEC Player of the Year, is averaging a career-high 18.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game this season. During the NCAA Tournament, he is averaging a double-double of 17.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in four games.
Here’s the latest on Broome’s injury and his availability against Florida in the Final Four:
Johni Broome injury update
On Monday, the Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reported that Broome hyperextended his right elbow against Michigan State. However, according to Goodman, Broome is fully expected to play Saturday against Florida in the Final Four.
Broome returned to Sunday’s 70-64 Elite Eight win over Michigan State despite his injury. Broome left the game around the 10:47 mark in the second half with an injury inside the paint after Michigan State’s Freddie Fidler missed a layup. He returned around the 5:26 mark in the second half.
Despite missing five minutes of game action, Broome finished with 25 points on 10 of 13 shooting, plus14 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 29 minutes. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl gave Goodman an update.
‘He’s sore,’ Pearl told Goodman. ‘We didn’t practice today, and we’ll practice tomorrow, but Johni won’t practice. He’s sore, but I fully expect him to play on Saturday.’
What is Johni Broome’s injury?
Broome sustained injuries to his left leg and right elbow in the second half of Auburn’s Elite Eight vcitory over Michigan State. Broome fell hard, seemingly hyperextending his leg and injuring his elbow on the play.
He had X-rays taken at State Farm Arena, but they came back negative.
‘Went to the locker room. We have a good support staff. I checked my arm out,’ Broome said after the game. ‘The (doctor) said nothing is wrong with it (or) anything serious, so at that moment I just wanted to help my teammates. And that is coming out and playing.
Johni Broome stats
Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Broome’s stats at Auburn and Morehead State:
2020-21 (Morehead State): 13.8 points per game (57%), 9.0 rebounds per game and 1.9 blocks per game
2021-22 (Morehead State): 16.8 points per game (55.7%), 10.5 rebounds per game and 3.9 blocks per game
2022-23 (Auburn): 14.2 points per game (52.7%), 8.4 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocks per game
2023-24 (Auburn): 16.5 points per game (54.8%), 8.5 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game and 2.2 blocks per game
2024-25 (Auburn): 18.7 points per game (51.2%), 10.9 rebounds per game, 2.9 assists per game and 2.1 blocks per game