No. 11 Auburn returns star Johni Broome, hopes to rebound from early NCAA Tournament exit

Auburn (27-8, 13-5 SEC)

The 11th-ranked Tiger s return their best player in preseason first-team AP All-America forward Johni Broome from a team that won the league tournament but was knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tourney. They’re picked to finish second in the league but have a brutal schedule that could include three Final Four participants: Purdue, Alabama and potentially defending champion UConn at the Maui Invitational.

Players to watch

Broome (senior, F/C, 16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.2 bpg). Broome’s return after exploring entering the NBA draft was Bruce Pearl’s biggest roster win. Broome is one of the better big men in college hoops. He was MVP of the SEC Tournament.

Chad Baker-Mazara (senior, G/F, 10.0 ppg). Made the SEC all-tournament team but had a strong season end poorly when he was ejected three minutes into what became a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Yale for throwing an elbow.

Denver Jones (senior, G, 9.1 ppg). Hit a team-best 41.8% of his 3-point attempts (51 of 122) and shot 86.3% from the free throw line.

Departures and arrivals

Pearl brought in three transfers while freshman Tahaad Pettiford is a McDonald’s All-American and the No. 2-rated point guard, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. JP Pegues (Furman) and Miles Kelly (Georgia Tech) were the leading scorers for their respective teams last season. Former five-star point guard recruit Aden Holloway transferred to Alabama and Jaylin Williams exhausted his eligibility.

Top games

The opener is against Vermont on Nov. 6. The Tigers have a tough lineup of games before conference play even arrives, including against No. 4 Houston (Nov. 9), No. 5 Iowa State (Nov. 25), at No. 7 Duke (Dec. 4) and against No. 14 Purdue (Dec. 21). Rival No. 2 Alabama is on the schedule twice, as always.

Facts and figures

Pearl needs 14 wins to pass Joel Eaves and become Auburn’s winningest coach. He is 200-119 entering his 11th season on the Plains. The 64-year-old Pearl has turned the Tigers into NCAA Tournament regulars but they haven’t advanced beyond the first weekend since making it to the 2019 Final Four.

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