Randy Smith
For just the second time in program history, the Auburn Tigers are ranked number one in the weekly college basketball polls. Coach Bruce Pearl's team replaces Rick Barnes' Tennessee team as the Volunteers dropped their first game of the year at Florida a week ago. While the Tigers were rising and the Vols dropping to sixth in the polls, the Georgia Bulldogs made their first appearance since 2011, coming in at number 23. This continues a big season for SEC teams as five of the top ten teams are SEC squads.
Auburn also becomes the third team to hold the top spot this season.
It's a good news-bad news situation for Auburn....while the Tigers are celebrating being number one, they're concerned about losing Johnie Broome, their best player. Broome who is listed as a top contender for the national Player of the Year award, leads Auburn with a scoring average of 18.2 points per game. He suffered a non-surgical ankle injury last weekend in a win over South Carolina and was definitely out for the game on Tuesday against 15th ranked Mississippi State. " Johnie won't play against Mississippi State but we're still a really good team. So we'll prepare without him," said Coach Bruce Pearl. I would say they prepared very well....they scored an 88-68 win over the Bulldogs.
Pearl went on to say there is no timeline for his return, as Broome is listed as being out indefinitely. This isn't his first injury this season. He suffered a shoulder injury in a game against Georgia State but returned for the Tiger's next contest....a win against 16th ranked Purdue.
Reaction to the Tigers ascension to the top of the college basketball world has been mixed among Tennessee fans. Most o/f them are happy for him but there are several others who have a real disdain for him after the way he left Tennessee in 2011. Pearl was fired by the Volunteers for not being truthful about recruits being at his home for a picnic. Now with some athletes making as much as he makes at Auburn, ($5.4 million a year,) that seems a little senseless. Pearl has had other issues with the NCAA as he was caught up in the " Chuck Person " ordeal back in 2021. Person was arrested with corruption charges by the FBI as an assistant coach at Auburn. Those charges resulted in a four-year NCAA probation for the Tigers and earned Pearl a two game suspension.
Pearl has been one of the most successful coaches in the country....his career record is now 690-275 with the Tigers improving to 16-1 with the victory over Mississippi State. As much trouble as he's been in with the NCAA you can understand why some people don't like him. I'm not one of those people. I had a great relationship with him during his time in Knoxville and consider him to be a friend. However, the only time I don't pull for the Tigers to win is when they face Tennessee and that game is coming up at Auburn on Saturday January 25th.
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com