Auburn Tigers
The Tigers have one of the best teams ever and have blown out almost everyone they have played. Auburn has the frontrunner for the National Player of the Year in Johni Broome. Those that have not paid real close attention to the SEC or to Auburn, let’s share some breaking news. Broome left the game against South Carolina early with a severely sprained ankle. He is undergoing an MRI and head coach Bruce Pearl is worried it may be severe. If Broome were to miss significant time, it would be a huge blow to Auburn in their quest to win the SEC. The Tigers have a good team around him, but Broome is the engine that makes them go.
Auburn has the top offense in the country, and most of that is due to their big man being the front-runner for the player of the Year, but they play extremely fast, and there are not many teams in the country who can run with Auburn when they get going. The number 1 ranked team on KenPom won the Maui Invitational and is undefeated in the loaded SEC. The Tigers have already beaten another team that many believe should be number 1. They beat Iowa State at the buzzer in Maui thanks to Broome, and the only blemish on the record came at the hands of Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Auburn is number 1 in the rankings, and they deserved it, given how they have dismantled the teams they have played. The Tigers beat Purdue by 18 points, Houston by 5, North Carolina by 13, and Memphis by 14 points. Every test that has been put in front of them the Tigers have passed. The debate will be settled quickly with Auburn because they play Mississippi State, Georgia, Tennessee, and LSU to close out the month. Normally, those would be games that would be easy wins for the Tigers, but if Broome does miss significant time, those games may be a lot different. The top team in KenPom is going to have some huge tests over the next two weeks.