Who's ready for one of the biggest and best games of the season? Come Saturday night in primetime, No. 1 Auburn is going to host No. 6 Tennessee and College GameDay is going to be on hand. Talk about making things even more intriguing.
The Vols were the top-ranked team in the country for quite some time, but the loss to Florida sent them packing outside of the Top 5. Bruce Pearl and Co. have since taken over the top spot and they don't want to give it up.
The big question for Auburn leading up to this colossal matchup, though, is will senior forward Johni Broome be able to suit up? Earlier this month, Broome suffered a sprained ankle against South Carolina and he's been out of action since then. Pearl has left the door open for him to play vs. Tennessee, but things are a bit up in the air.
Will Auburn's Johni Broome play against Tennessee on Saturday night?
"I don't anticipate he would practice much, certainly at the beginning of the week," the Auburn head man said via AL.com. "We'll probably evaluate him later on this week. He's working really hard to get back and it's hard in this league without your best player."
Throughout the season, Broome has been fantastic on the hardwood, averaging 17.9 points per game, while adding an impressive 10.7 rebounds. He's been reliable for Pearl on both ends of the floor, which is why Tigers fans are hopeful he'll be ready to rock against the Vols.
However, things are very much unclear there. As for Tennessee, Rick Barnes and Co. will be focused on posting an upset win regardless of if Broome will be lacing up his sneakers or not. The good news for Barnes is that Chaz Lanier will enter this meeting with his confidence back.
In Tuesday's 68-56 win over Mississippi State, Lanier found his rhythm again, finishing with a game-high 23 points. That performance came after the heartbreaking loss to Vandy, with Lanier missing a free throw late with a chance to force overtime. He flushed that loss and took care of business against Mississippi State. Now, let's hope he can do more of the same this weekend.