– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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ATLANTA — Johni Broome, the man most likely to win the national player of the year, thought his game was over midway through the second half. He said as much to his coach. Auburn’s fans feared their magical season was soon to strike midnight at the sight of Broome injuring himself and subsequently walking along the sideline motivating each one of his teammates to win the game for him.
But the healing powers of playing for a chance to make the Final Four somehow did wonders for Broome, who returned to the court and pulled the Tigers to a return to the national semifinals.
Broome put up his second consecutive double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds, overcoming an injury scare in the process as Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeated second-seeded Michigan State 70-64 in the South Region Final in Atlanta and advanced Auburn to its first Final Four since 2019.
Broome’s dominance early helped the Tigers go on a 17-0 run and jump out to a 23-8 lead, and they still had a 10-point lead midway through the second half when Broome fell awkwardly on his left leg and right arm while attempting to block a shot with 10:37 remaining and left the game. He was escorted to the locker room for a quick examination. Broome, the Associated Press SEC player of the year and a first-team All-America selection, appeared to hurt his right elbow on the fall and, when walking along the Auburn bench, mouthed the words “I’m done” toward Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. Broome’s parents came down from the stands to meet and check on him before he walked into the locker room.
Broome returned with 5:29 remaining, drawing an immediate ovation from Auburn fans. He soon attempted, and made, a three-pointer, drawing a huge roar from the Auburn fans.
“All glory to God. When I came back out, when I hit that three-ball, I called on him again,” Broome said. “You got to always call on him. He’s always going to deliver.
“It was a scary moment,” Broome said. “I went down but my team had my back.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday’s South Regional final, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Dale Horton. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 31 pictures in total.
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