Auburn Tigers Playing for History

Over the last two seasons, the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team has enjoyed a run that ranks as the best in school history.

120 years ago, the football coach, Mike Donahue led the school into its first foray into basketball. The Tigers defeated Tulane, 27-7, beginning a 120-year trek through the world of basketball.

From that 1947 team that finished 3-18, to Chuck Person and Charles Barkley grabbing national acclaim, the program faced highs and lows. Now, the basketball program enjoys the best era in school history, and the best team in school history can punctuate their season with an NCAA Tournament Championship.

Last Name Ever, First Name Best

As the wins pile up, discussion around Johni Broome's place in basketball lore remains. While he didn't play his entire four seasons on the Plains, can you consider him the program standard for greatness? Several factors matter in this equation.

First, level of competition. Right now, eight of the Associated Press Top 25 are Southeastern Conference teams. Playing in a conference where half of the teams reside among the country's best helps Broome's case. Also, 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds do nothing but strengthen his career.

It’s not just the conference schedule that has been so daunting for Auburn. The Tigers have also faced No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Houston, No. 10 Iowa State, No. 16 Memphis, No. 18 Purdue, and perennial powers UNC and Ohio State in non-conference games.

Moreover, Broome's defense puts him over the top. 2.4 blocks as rim protector changes the game plan and trajectory of opponents’ offenses. As mentioned, cutting down the nets in April makes the case of unquestioned dominance.

Johni Broome > Cooper Flagg for the National Player of the Year.

More Points/Rebound/Blocks per game & he does it in the best conference in CBB.

Broome: 19.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.8 BPG, 58% FG
Flagg: 19.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 47% FG

Broome has 15 games of 20/10
Flagg has 4 pic.twitter.com/eyVRIfkbl9
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) February 24, 2025

Consistent Winning

With two games left in the regular season, Auburn has already clinched the regular season SEC Championship. They face Texas A&M on Wednesday night and Alabama on Saturday trying to improve on a program-best 15 SEC wins. Charles Barkley admitted Auburn doesn’t need these last two games, and they probably won’t rush Denver Jones back into action.

Auburn's current numbers paint a vivid picture. From 2017-2019, Bruce Pearl's team racked up 56 wins and 18 losses, a 75.6% winning percentage.

That pales in comparison to the 54 wins and 10 losses, winning games at an 84.3% clip. On top of that, Auburn takes care of business at home. with just two home losses in two seasons. Furthermore, as the SEC grew in competition level, the Tigers raised their game with victories in 29 of their 34 conference matchups.

MOST SEC WINS IN PROGRAM HISTORY

2024-25         15-1
2021-22         15-3
1998-99         14-2

Auburn is the best team in what is considered one of the best conferences in college basketball history.

Final Piece

This era of Auburn basketball stacks up as the best in program history. With wins and accolades piling up, only one goal remains. If Auburn wins the national title, not only will they claim SEC dominance, but will stand head and shoulders above any school in the nation. The only discussion will be where this team ranks among the best in college basketball history.

Before heading to the NBA, Johni Broome can bestow one final gift to the fanbase: putting an NCAA Tournament trophy in the trophy case.

Johni Broome with NO MERCY on this dunk on the head of an Ole Miss defender.

GOOD EVENING, MR. BROOME. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/WDdHZV5nPw
— Vince Wolfram (@vincewolfram15) February 27, 2025