What Bruce Pearl said about Johni Broome’s injury after South Carolina win

Auburn basketball escaped with a 66-63 win over South Carolina on Saturday, but suffered a concerning blow after All-American center Johni Broome left the game early with an ankle injury.

As Broome jumped to contest a layup by South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles, he landed awkwardly on Chaney Johnson’s left foot, rolling his left ankle. Broome had to be helped off the floor, not putting any weight on his left foot.

After the game, Bruce Pearl said on SEC Network that the injury is a “significant sprain” to Broome’s ankle.

“When we get back to Auburn tonight, we’ll get him an MRI and see if there’s anything else going on there,” Pearl added.

When speaking with the Auburn Sports Radio Network after the game, Pearl reiterated that Broome has a “pretty serious sprain.”

“We’ll MRI it, X-ray it when he gets back and hopefully that’s what it is,” Pearl said, “Don’t know much more than that.”

Pearl didn’t add any more details during his postgame news conference, but was asked how Auburn will adjust if Broome is forced to miss more time.

“It’s gonna be just like it was for us in the second half,” Pearl said. “It’s gotta be the next man up. So, whether it be Dylan Cardwell or Chaney Johnson or Ja’Heim Hudson or Chris Moore — that’s our depth on the frontline.”

Auburn will have a short turnaround before its next game, facing No. 14 Mississippi State on Tuesday at Neville Arena. Tipoff for Tuesday’s contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be streaming on SEC Network.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com