Auburn fans were devastated after the injury that ruled out Broome’s appearance in upcoming games. However, a blessing in disguise has arrived for Bruce Pearl after the recent game against South Carolina. Analysts believe that there is still immense potential in the Auburn roster even in the absence of Johni Broome.

In a recent episode of the Field of 68: After Dark podcast, analyst Ant Wright weighed in on Bruce Pearl’s team. “One thing that Bruce Pearl has with auburn is depth,” said Wright. Auburn indeed flaunts a depth that goes beyond Johni Broome. Of course, there are players like Jabari Smith Jr., who made 21 points against South Carolina. But there are also players like Dylan Cardwell who do their best in limited minutes.

This can finally be the chance when Pearl leans on other freshman talent besides Broome. “I think it speaks volumes to next-man-up. You’re going to see a lot more Chany Johnson, a lot more Dylan Cardwell,” added Wright. An 11-point win over South Carolina would have been way more challenging without the likes of Cardwell and Johnson, who scored 6 and 9 points respectively.

“So many guys have stepped up into much bigger roles,” said analyst Kevin Sweeney. The absence of Johni Broome can be seen as a blessing in disguise for Pearl as it’s a chance to develop players beyond the starters. Wendell Green Jr. scored 10 essential points, exemplifying what Sweeney pointed out.

“Bruce Pearl is an elite coach and it’s it’s just a matter of next man up,” added Sweeney. Now that Auburn has moved to No.1 in the AP poll, Pearl being an ‘elite coach’ is a straight-up fact. This is the second time in Auburn’s history that they have been ranked first. Pearl has now become the only SEC coach to lead two teams to the No.1, the other one being Tennessee. Let’s see what he has to say about his amazing feat.

Bruce Pearl on his AP No.1 supremacy

“Us being ranked number one in the country, I think it’s deserving,” said Bruce Pearl after being ranked first. This isn’t the first time for Pearl that he has brought his team to the first rank. The same happened back in 2022 when Auburn stayed on the top for three full weeks. That might be the reason that Pearl is able to accept the victory while also staying humble.

“I don’t know that we’re the best team in the country right now. We’re probably not right now, ’cause obviously we’re not at full strength,” added Pearl while pointing out that they don’t currently have Broome. As per ESPN, Broome’s injury will not require surgery and his absence will be short.

Auburn has lost only one game in the entire season and has broken their previous season record of consecutive wins. Before the loss to Dukes, Auburn had seven back-to-back wins but now, they are sitting on eight-straight victories.

For now, we will be missing Broome from the next game against Mississippi and the team “prepares without him.” However, it looks like fans can still rely on a roster without him.