Auburn forward Johni Broome is taking the drama out of the Wooden Award race.
The sensational fifth-year senior dominated in Auburn’s blowout home win against Ohio State on Saturday.
Broome had a double-double by halftime and ended the TIgers’ 91-53 win with 21 points and 20 rebounds.
Per Auburn basketball’s social media team, Broome is the first Auburn player to have a 20/20 game since Kelvin Arrester in 1989.
He added six assists, three blocks, and a steal to cement himself as the 2024-25 John R. Wooden Award favorite.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello noted that Broome became the first Division I player in the last 25 seasons to have a game with at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and no turnovers.
Per ESPN BET, Broome (+160) entered Saturday as the favorite to win the Wooden Award, given annually to Division I college basketball’s most outstanding player.
He should be an even bigger favorite after Auburn’s win, which improved the team’s record to 9-1.
The Tigers have been one of the country’s best teams this season, scoring massive out-of-conference wins against Houston, Iowa State, and North Carolina.
Broome has been instrumental to Auburn’s hot start.
Through Auburn’s first 10 games, Broome has averaged 19.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
He has seven double-doubles, including six with at least 20 points.
Broome began his collegiate career at Morehead State, where he was named Ohio Valley Conference Rookie of the Year (2020-21) and Defensive Player of the Year (2021-22).
He was named OVC Tournament MVP as a freshman in 2021 after scoring 27 points in the conference championship game.
Broome was also named SEC Tournament MVP after leading Auburn to a conference tournament title last season.
Through the first month of the 2024-25 season, Broome appears poised to add more hardware to his collection in a few months.
He’s the best player in college basketball, and it isn’t particularly close.
