While Johni Broome certainly shined in tonight’s 82-70 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, a key piece to Auburn’s success this season are the other big men in the paint.
Broome is a large presence both on the court and around campus. Being in conversations for national player of the year tends to do that. However, Auburn has many other big men who play an important role in this year’s impressive performance so far.
Graduate student center Dylan Cardwell contributed five rebounds, two steals, and three blocks against the Bulldogs tonight, a solid part of Auburn’s victory. Cardwell is a defensive presence for the Tigers, averaging 2.5 defensive rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. This is Cardwell’s fifth season as an Auburn Tiger, and his leadership is invaluable to the team.
Senior forward Chaney Johnson had a quieter night than usual, offering four points. Johnson, who transferred to Auburn two years ago, averages 10.3 points and 1.6 rebounds, acting as an offensive counterpart to Cardwell’s defensive effort.
Fifth-year forward Chris Moore also had a quiet scoring night, but he did haul in one rebound and one steal. Moore has played for Auburn for his entire collegiate career, and acts as a leader both on and off the court, having played for Bruce Pearl for five years.
Senior forward Ja’Heim Hudson also put in the work under the basket, scoring two points and earning three offensive rebounds. Hudson, a transfer from SMU, averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds for the Mustangs last season and holds much promise for his future career as a Tiger.
In tonight’s contest, Auburn’s big men delivered yet again. Cardwell, Johnson, Moore and Hudson offered a combined 10 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. While the numbers they put up might not seem impressive at first glance, the impact these three have on the game goes beyond the scoresheet.
“When you got Chaney, Dylan on the backside rebounding, and you got Johni with the ball in the post, you put three shooters out there,” said head coach Bruce Pearl “A kindergartner can figure out how to score with that, a coach that can – how to score with those guys.”
Auburn’s big men open up the court in an entirely different way, allowing shooters to roam and readjust for a second or sometimes third shot. Tonight the Tigers had 17 second-chance points thanks to offensive rebounds and good box-outs under the basket. For perspective, Auburn won by 12 points tonight.
“I mean it’s super important. The offensive rebounds give us second-chance points,” said Miles Kelly. “We’ve got guys like Johni (Broome), Dylan (Cardwell) and Chaney (Johnson), C-Mo (Chris Moore) and Turtle (Ja’Heim Hudson) crashing the glass every time. They just give us another opportunity on offense when we’re struggling from behind the arc.”
Not only do the big men help facilitate scoring for guards, but they also score in the lane themselves. Tonight Auburn had 38 points in the paint, over half of their total points.
Auburn’s productive big men have a few days to rest and recover but will be back in action on Wednesday, February. 26 against Ole Miss at 6 p.m. CST.
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Jackie is a freshman majoring in Drug and Biopharmaceutical Sciences. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2024.
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