"The biggest balls in balls history": Auburn's Dylan Cardwell drops hilarious take on Johni Broome's gritty comeback vs. Michigan State
Auburn men's basketball star Dylan Cardwell's hilarious take on teammate Johni Broome's remarkable comeback in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchup against Michigan State made news headlines.
Broome, who leads the Tigers in average points (18.7), rebounds (10.9) and blocks (2.1) this season, got injured during the second half of the contest against the Spartans. This forced him to leave the court for the locker room.
Things looked really dicey for Auburn shortly after the senior forward left. But he came back to the floor minutes later and produced a stunning one-handed rebound and a 3-point shooter to inspire a 70-64 win.
“What was that moment like?” Cardwell said, according to sports writer Bryan Matthews. “The biggest balls in balls history. He’s probably got blue balls. Excuse me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Lord. He needs a 30 for 30 on that shot alone.
"Going down, everyone and their mama in the crowd thought it was over. And he comes back out. You would have thought Derek Jeter came out for his last at-bat. For him to knock down that three, I’ve never heard an arena that loud in my life."
He continued:
“My biggest regret is not watching that game as a fan. I can’t imagine what that was like as a fan. I’m like, ‘Ahh, we’ve got to win, we’ve got to win.’ I didn’t get to enjoy that moment like everybody else. But I’m going to watch this game back on the bus,” he added.
The Auburn Tigers have booked their spot in the Final Four and they will face fellow No. 1 seed, Florida Gators, on Saturday, April 5.
Bruce Pearl describes Dylan Cardwell's impact on Auburn in NCAA Tournament run
Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell is not a glamorous shooter like Johni Broome. He does not score a lot of points, but he has served as a glue that tied the team in their winning run in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Bruce Pearl recognized Cardwell's impact on the team and did not fail to give the senior guard his flowers.
“Dylan Cardwell blows away every analytic that’s out there. You can’t look at the stat sheet and think he’s going to lead in plus-minus, and he does all the time,” Pearl said per AL.com. “What does he do? He dominates the boards. He’s the best defender on the floor. He doesn’t turn the basketball over.
“I think he’s got a chance to play in the NBA because he can score in the air, he can defend any position. He’ll rebound his position, and he can guard one through five.”
Despite his low scoring stats, Cardwell leads Auburn in offensive rating, with 133.5, which ranks 12th in the country, according to KenPom. He is also Auburn's all-time winningest player, after he joined the program in 2020.