In front of a packed – Auburn-favoring – house, the No. 2 Tigers secured their sixth quad-one victory and fourth win over a top-30 KenPom opponent in a 18-point blowout of No. 16 Purdue in Birmingham, AL.
“Just a great environment. It was like Neville Arena at times. And, you know, we beat a good basketball team, but we beat a great basketball program. Nobody does it better than Purdue period,” head coach Bruce Pearl said following the win.
After suffering a right shoulder injury minutes into Auburn’s game against Georgia State on Tuesday night, Johni Broome – who was a game-time decision – put together a 23 point performance, shooting 10-for-15 from the field, with 11 rebounds without even playing the final 5:49 of the game.
“He made it really clear from the beginning, he was playing. But I had to hear that from Dr Goodlett,” Pearl said. “Told me last night, and I quote, ‘If he was playing football for Auburn he'd be on the field today. He's at no risk for further injury.”
Broome recorded his seventh 20-point double-double in twelve games – all of which have come against quad-one opponents.
“I didn't feel no pressure at all. Honestly it was my decision, and I just really went off how my body felt. I didn't need to play this game because I knew my teammates, they told me all week, they got my back. You know, they want me to play with them, but they don't mean to rush me back. And ultimately, I feel like I was ready enough to go,” Broome said of his decision to play on Saturday.
Purdue, who’s been a No. 1 seed in the last two NCAA tournaments and played for the title last season, has had one fatal flaw – turnovers. In Boilermakers’ 14 previous losses since the start of the 2022-23 season, Purdue averaged 5.7 more turnovers-per-game than their opponent.
The Tigers’ relentless defense was on full display on Saturday afternoon turning Purdue over 12 times, collecting seven steals and blocking six shots. The Boilermakers made just two shots from deep, on 11 attempts, in the first half and ended the contest with eight – five of which came after Auburn went up by 33 in the second half.
“We pride ourselves on our defense. You know, we make everything hard. Branden Smith is a really good point guard, so we try to get after him a little bit, make him pass the ball a little bit,” Broome said. “I feel like we did a great job with that.”
Preseason Big Ten player of the year Branden Smith, who entered Saturday’s matchup shooting 42.6% from deep and averaged 13.4 points-per-game, picked up just eight points, shooting 3-of-12 from the field, with only two makes from beyond the arc.
“You can control your outcome with how you defend,” Pearl continues to say as the season progresses.
Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones combined for 33 of the Tigers’ points, collecting 18 and 15 respectively. Jones, who has scored in double figures in his last four contests and in 10-of-12 appearances this season, knocked down 3-of-6 3-point attempts and four assists.
“Oh, he's special. He's talented. He better make sure he show up in the big games, gotta give him a hard time every day, you know. But I know he's gonna come with it. He has that edge, that dog to him. So I know when the lights are bright, he's gonna shine as well,” Broome said of Pettiford.
The true freshman, hit 7-of-12 shots from the field, with two from deep, to total in the double figures in five of Auburn’s seven quad-one games.
“I was concerned about the toughness of our schedule,” Pearl said. “If we couldn't handle it we could have hurt our league by being overwhelmed by just a number of quad one opportunities in the teams that we are playing, but we didn't. We actually helped our league, and that matters to me a great deal.”
Auburn’s nation leading six quad-one wins, in seven attempts, have come by an average of 15.0 points. The Tigers’ are No. 1 in KenPom by a +4.51 margin and have picked up all of their quad-one wins away from home.
Ultimately, you’re remembered for what you do in March in this sport. But, for now, Auburn is the best team in the country.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
