Jeff Borzello, ESPN writer
Chestnut star John Broomefavorite in the National Player of the Year category, finished Saturday’s victory 66:63 at South Carolina after a left ankle injury.
With less than 14 minutes left in the game, Broome went to the locker room and never returned. He stepped on a teammate’s leg after taking a defensive shot and immediately appeared to be on the court in serious pain. When he was helped into the locker room, he could not put any weight on his left foot.
Coach Bruce Pearl said on the SEC Network after the game that Broome has a “significant sprain” and will undergo an MRI when the team returns to Auburn this evening to assess for additional damage.
This is Broome’s second injury this season after he left December’s game against Georgia State after just two minutes with a shoulder injury. Pearl said after the game that Broome’s shoulder “came out and then came back” and the big star didn’t miss a game.
Broome was the most dominant player in college basketball and entered the weekend as the favorite to win National Player of the Year honors. He averaged 18.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 blocks and had strong performances in big games, including 21 points and 20 rebounds against Ohio State and 23 points and 19 rebounds against North Carolina and 21 points and 16 rebounds against Memphis. He has 10 double-doubles this season.
No. 2 Auburn (15-1, 3-0 SEC) has won eight straight games after escaping Saturday’s game against South Carolina. At the end of the first half, the Tigers trailed by nine points, but they came back and won thanks to a big player from South Carolina. Nick Pringle He missed two free throws with nine seconds left.
After top-ranked Tennessee’s 30-point loss in Florida earlier in the week, the Tigers will likely move into the top spot in Monday’s AP poll.
