The biggest storyline for Auburn heading into this weekend's Final Four action is the status of star forward Johni Broome.
Broome exited Sunday's Elite Eight game with Michigan State due to a right elbow injury he suffered while blocking a Spartan shot underneath the basket with 10:38 remaining in the contest. Broome missed nearly five minutes of gametime before returning to the court to a thunderous, standing ovation from Tigers fans in attendance at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. He connected on a three-pointer in his first possession back on the floor.
As expected, Broome has taken it easy this week in hopes of his elbow healing well enough to play in Auburn's Final Four contest with the Florida Gators on Saturday evening. During Thursday's pre-Final Four press conference, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was asked about the importance of having Broome available with zero limitations and how special it was to know that Broome feels "100%" ahead of Auburn's date with the Gators.
"I'm glad (Broome) feels that way. Today was the first day he moved in practice. I was glad to see him. Obviously good to see him out there. And the one thing Johni Broome showed in this NCAA tournament, that there was another level, there was another gear. Everybody keeps watching him and wondering when is he going to fizzle, when is he going to not show up. Again, he just managed to step up. He was 10-13 against Michigan State. Florida recognizes that. Florida's bigs are a little bigger and more athletic than Michigan State's or Michigan's bigs. But Johni was MVP of the south region. We rode him hard. We're going to ride him hard again on Saturday."
With one, possibly two, games remaining in Broome's collegiate career, fans can expect Broome to give it his all as Auburn hunts for its first-ever NCAA Tournament championship. Through four NCAA Tournament games, Broome is averaging 17.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 50% from the field.
Broome and the Tigers will face Florida on Saturday at 5:09 p.m. CT on CBS in the Final Four.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Johni Broome injury update before Auburn vs Florida in March Madness
