A big decision looms for a huge game.
No. 6 Tennessee is headed to No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, and the status of Tiger star Johni Broome remains up in the air. Auburn has listed him as questionable on the official injury report, which was released on Friday.
Broome was averaging 17.9 points per game before suffering his injury. He went down awkwardly during the South Carolina game a couple of weeks back and was unable to get off the floor under his own power. Auburn went 2-0 since with wins over Mississippi State and Georgia. The Tigers had a mid-week bye ahead of the Tennessee matchup on Saturday.
“You can throw a ball in to Johni and get buckets and you can play inside-out basketball if they double,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “Obviously, you don’t have that (if Broome doesn’t play). You have to find other ways to score.”
Pearl mentioned on Friday that Broome would be ‘probable or questionable’ for Saturday. The official answer is questionable. Our next update will come on Saturday before the game.
On the Tennessee side, Jordan Gainey has also been listed as questionable. Gainey is dealing with flu-like symptoms, which could be a big blow to the Tennessee offense. The key role player has been a spark plug for the Volunteers all season, averaging 11.2 points per game.
Forward Igor Milicic is listed as probable with a lower body injury.
Auburn opened as seven-point favorites early on Friday. The Broome designation has brought the line down to six. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.