Observations: Auburn 100, Georgia State 59
The Tigers found a way to dominate without Johni Broome. It just goes to show you that this program is still built on elite balance.
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(Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
AUBURN — Auburn basketball is much more than a one-man show.
Throughout the glory days under Bruce Pearl, the Tigers have proved that they have more depth and more balance than the vast majority of title contenders.
Even in a season where Auburn has the best player in all of college basketball, that still rings true — and Tuesday night was the perfect example of that.
A little more than two minutes into Auburn’s matchup with Georgia State, All-American center Johni Broome got tangled up with an opponent while battling for a defensive rebound. Broome immediately grabbed his right shoulder and sprinted off the floor in pain.
When Broome returned to the bench later in the first half, he had a huge ice pack on his right shoulder and some tears in his eyes.
On the floor, Auburn didn’t look quite the same without its top player. The Tigers went into the halftime locker room with a 12-point lead, but they hadn’t played up to their usual standards. The offense wasn’t coming quite as easily, and the defense had several noticeable lapses.
However, even without Broome, the good times were about to start rolling again in Neville Arena. By the time the center returned to the bench in the second half — where he was giving a thumbs up to others and eating snacks with a smile on his face — Auburn had already put together an 11-0 run to take the game by the throat.
The lead grew to 20, then 30. Auburn dominated Georgia State, like it was supposed to with Broome, on both ends of the floor.
Then, when some reserves and even a few walk-ons finished it out, Auburn closed on yet another 11-0 run. The surge got the Tigers to triple digits for the second time this season, and they were able to cover what was believed to be the largest point spread in program history.
Nobody knows the value of strength in numbers like Auburn basketball.
“To score 100 points without our best player is great,” Pearl said. “We talk about this all the time… We all want our opportunity. We all want to get our play calls, and we all want the minutes. In life, we all want certain things. God’s got a plan for us, and you never know when it’s going to be your time. We’re all going to get an opportunity.
“But the question is, when you didn’t get the opportunity you wanted when you wanted it and you didn’t get it, what are you going to do? Are you going to stay right and are you going to stay ready?”
Chaney Johnson definitely did. He had a career-high 26 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists for what was suddenly a thinning frontcourt.
Denver Jones did, too. He continued to rise well above his early-season shooting slump by hitting five of his seven 3-pointers and finishing with 17 points.
Chad Baker-Mazara stayed that way, even though his jumper was clearly off. Baker-Mazara went just 4-11 from the floor but went 11-11 from the free-throw line, recorded six assists and was a strong +25 in plus/minus.
Ja’Heim “Turtle” Hudson showed he was ready as well. After falling out of the rotation with Jahki Howard before the second game of the season, Hudson had to play some emergency center Tuesday and played well in 17 minutes — which was more than he had gotten in the last nine games combined.
“Other guys just stepped up,” Pearl said. “Fifty points off the bench. It’s obvious.”
Yes, it’s obvious. It’s obvious that Auburn can play excellent basketball, even without its ace. And it’s obvious that these Tigers are still built on a culture of balance, even in a season that has featured tighter rotations to this point.
Here are four Observations from Auburn’s 100-59 win over Georgia State, including the Rotation Charts, Nerd Stats and the Quote of the Night.
PF Chaney Johnson (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
Johni Broome might miss some time, but at least Auburn has Chaney Johnson
Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way: Broome will get an MRI on Wednesday. Auburn could have an update later in the day, or when Pearl meets with the media Thursday afternoon.
Pearl did not sound optimistic when talking to the postgame radio show about Broome’s status for Saturday against Purdue. He said he “can’t imagine” Broome would be able to play, yet he wouldn’t completely rule it out.
Broome suffered a similar injury to the same shoulder last year and didn’t miss any time, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be the same this go-around.
If Broome can’t play against Purdue, Auburn will turn to Johnson to replace him in the starting lineup, next to Dylan Cardwell at center. While Purdue might not have Zach Edey anymore, it still has a sizable and physical frontcourt.
And that’s the type of matchup where Johnson usually thrives.