SAN ANTONIO | Less than four years ago, Johni Broome was taking it to the Ohio Valley Conference as a player for Morehead State.
On Saturday, he steps onto the biggest stage in college basketball at the 2025 Final Four in the Alamadome.
Would the Auburn star have reached this moment without those two years hiding away in a mid-major in the Appalachian mountains of Eastern Kentucky? His current coach thinks so … sort of.
“Certainly benefited from the experience at Morehead, no question,” Bruce Pearl said. “In answer to your question, because I know what kind of a competitor is, regardless of where he started, he would have done what he’s doing right now because he is a great competitor.”
Broome leads No. 1 overall seed Auburn into a matchup against SEC rival Florida as the Tigers try to reach the first national title game in program history. The Gators got the best of Broome and company in February. Auburn is looking for revenge in the best way.
“We’re super excited to get a crack at Florida,” Broome said. “We always want to get a crack, especially if a team beats us.”
The All-American took a scary fall in the Elite Eight victory over Michigan State, only to come back into the game and hit a killer three that lit up State Farm Arena. His health has been a question mark since, with Pearl holding him out of practice on Monday and Tuesday before the team traveled to San Antonio.
Heading into the biggest game of his college career, Broome said he would be fine.
“I felt great in practice yesterday, I feel great today and I’ll be even better tomorrow,” he said on Friday. “My ankle feels so much better now; I’m moving a lot better. I think I’m getting my mobility back and playing like I was playing.”
