Auburn seemed to be cruising to the Final Four, up nicely on Michigan State with everything clicking. Then star big man Johni Broome suffered a scary-looking injury.
Broome came down awkwardly while going for a loose ball midway through the second half. His elbow bent in an odd direction as he appeared to turn his ankle at the same time.
Immediately Broome went down on the floor in pain. He stayed there for a couple minutes.
Then, Johni Broome headed to the locker room. He would undergo X-rays, and just about everyone in the arena and watching on TV assumed he was done for the game. Moments later, that all changed.
And head coach Bruce Pearl had an interesting analogy for the sequence. He likened it to a famous NBA happenstance while speaking with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson after the game.
“It was the Willis Reed moment,” Pearl said in the postgame interview. “But then he comes out there, he bangs a three ball. And the whole place went absolutely crazy. You know where we’re going, Tracy? To the Final Four!”
Johni Broome also chimed in. He admitted he was worried.
“It is a scary moment,” Broome said. “I went down, but my team had my back. I went to the locker room, I still watched the game, and they kept it going. No dropoff. I came back, do whatever it take to help my team win.”
Shortly after checking back in following the injury, Johni Broome pulled down a one-handed rebound. Then he launched and drained a 3-pointer, to which the crowd went absolutely nuts. It sparked Auburn at a time when Michigan State appeared intent on rallying.
Broome finished the game with 25 points and 14 rebounds, despite missing 11 minutes worth of game action. Auburn subbed him in and out a bit in the second half following the injury, but Broome appeared to be OK.
Best yet, he noted after the game that he intends to be available for the Final Four. Auburn is set to take on conference foe Florida.
“I will be, but all glory to God,” Johni Broome said simply.
