Mississippi State basketball looks to bounce back from a tough home loss to Kentucky, but they aren't getting any sort of cakewalk to get back on track. The Bulldogs will travel to #1 Auburn to face a Tigers team that has looked almost unstoppable this season. But Auburn will be down as significant a weapon as there is in the sport Tuesday night.
Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome out against Mississippi State Bulldogs
Auburn forward Johni Broome is one of the very best players in the country, averaging 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game. But the star big man went down with an ankle sprain at South Carolina on Saturday.
Broome will now miss time from the Tigers' lineup, and that of course means he won't be available when Mississippi State travels to Auburn Tuesday night.
Auburn C Johni Broome (ankle) is officially out tomorrow vs. Mississippi State, per HC Bruce Pearl
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) January 13, 2025
That's obviously a massive loss for Auburn. Broome led the SEC in rebounding and was in the conference's top five in scoring. This is Broom's third-straight season leading the Tigers in points and boards. He's been the focal point of this team for quite some time.
Johni Broome has also experienced some success against Mississippi State in his career. In four meetings against the Bulldogs, he's averaged 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds with the Tigers going 3-1 in those games.
What changes for Mississippi State basketball with Johni Broome out for Auburn?
While Mississippi State won't complain about facing Auburn with Johni Broome out, this still is not an easy matchup for the Bulldogs. The Tigers remain an elite team, and Neville Arena remains one of the toughest places to play in the country. Auburn still has good talent in the front court as well.
Starting center Dylan Cardwell doesn't necessarily light up the stat sheet, but he's in the midst of the best year of his career and is a massive physical presence to contend with at 6-11, 250. Forward Chaney Johnson has had a big year off the bench with 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He doesn't quite have the length of Broome, but he should step in nicely at the four.
Also helping the Tigers here is their bevy of guards. This is a prolific three-point shooting team that can absolutely lean on their perimeter offense if they need to.
For State, the hope is to be better equipped to attack Auburn down low on the offensive end and devote more bodies to perimeter defense with Broome out. But again, even with that gameplan, Auburn is more than capable of finding success. This game remains a major challenge for the Bulldogs.