What happened to Johni Broome? All you need to know about Auburn star's injury status and expected return
Johni Broome suffered a painful injury in Auburn's game against South Carolina on Saturday. With less than 14 minutes left in the second half, the senior forward landed on teammate Chaney Johnson's foot while contesting a shot, which left him clutching his left foot in agony.
Following the incident, Broome was carried off by Auburn's staff to the locker room, as he was unable to put any weight on his left leg. Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, the senior forward underwent an MRI which revealed that he suffered an ankle sprain which did not require surgical intervention.
Johni Broome returned to the bench for the remainder of Auburn's game against South Carolina and took to Instagram earlier today to share a snap of him in a cast and he wrote:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."
Johni Broome has emerged as a frontrunner for the National Player of the Year with his incredible performances this season. He has averaged a double-double of 17.9 points and 10.7 rebounds, while also averaging 2.7 blocks and 3.3 assists across Auburn's 16 games so far. Broome is out indefinitely but some reports have suggested that his absence won't be long.
Auburn survive South Carolina challenge following Johni Broome's injury
Auburn had their fair share of struggles against South Carolina following Johni Broome's injury. In fact, Broome was himself struggling before his injury, going 3-11 from the field.
In addition, Colin Murray-Boyles was putting the Tigers under pressure and finished with 25 points and seven rebounds for the Gamecocks. However, Dylan Cardwell and Tahaad Pettiford stepped up for the Tigers in the clutch to get them over the line.
Cardwell made a dunk of a Pettiford assist to put the Tigers up with 1:32 on the clock, and Pettiford made a couple of free-throws with four seconds left to give the Tigers their eighth straight victory with the scoreline reading 66-63. Pettiford came off the bench to finish as Auburn's top scorer with 15 points.
No. 2 Auburn improved their overall record to 15-1. They have a 3-0 in their conference and will face No. 14 Mississippi State in their next game on Tuesday at 7:00PM ET.