Auburn's Johni Broome looked letal from tip vs. Michgan. Now, Tigers are on to Elite Eight
Auburn's Johni Broome looked letal from tip vs. Michgan. Now, Tigers are on to Elite Eight
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Sunday's Elite 8 slate features Michigan St. vs. Auburn, Tennessee vs. Houston
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down Sunday's Elite Eight matchups.
Sports Seriously
ATLANTA — The potential Naismith Men's College Player of the Year went on a tear Friday night.
Johni Broome led top-seeded Auburn to a 78-65 win over fifth-seeded Michigan in the Sweet 16. And from the tip, he looked lethal.
Broome nailed a contested 3-pointer off the jump and followed soon after with a tough inside finish over Michigan 7-foot center Danny Wolf.
How many points did Johni Broome score against Michigan?
Broome had a double-double by the end of the first half, and finished the night with in 22 points and 16 rebounds.
Auburn men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl joked that Broom had a triple-double, saying he also missed 12 shots. Broom was 9-of-21 from the field.
'Coach has confidence in us — we're a player-led team sometimes,' Broome said. 'A couple guys said what we wanted to say, and you've got to listen to what your teammate has to say. After that, you shake it off and go out there and play hard for the coach, for Coach Pearl.'
How Johni Broome powered Auburn in second half vs. Michigan
Even with his dominant showing, the Tigers still struggled early — committing 10 turnovers and shooting 32.4% from the field in the first half. The Wolverines headed into the locker room down just a single point to arguably the nation's most well-rounded team.
Broome, however, had other plans for the second half.
'They had two great frontcourt guys in Vlad (Goldin) and Danny Wolf, so we knew we were gonna have to go out there and just play physical and our brand of basketball,' Auburn's Chris Moore said.
The 6-foot-10 center buried a contested left-handed layup to get Auburn on the board before picking up a steal and converting a missed layup just minutes later.
Even while occupying much of the Wolverines' attention, Broome was more than dominant in the paint — converting an 'and-one' and his free throw to pull Auburn within three points with about 14 minutes left. Later, the Tigers then rattled off a 20-2 run to surge into the lead and never looked back.
With the crowd screaming 'AU' every chance they got and Michigan faltering every minute, Auburn had no trouble down the stretch securing its place in the Elite 8 against Michigan State on Sunday.
'We're not going to do too much celebrating tonight,' Broome said. 'We've got another game. We've got to prep. We've got to take care of our bodies. We've got to rest. Let's try to get to San Antonio to the Final Four.'
Andy Mathis is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.
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