Auburn (19-4, 8-2) defeated Alabama (16-7, 8-2) 99-81 in the second version of this year’s Iron Bowl on the hardwood, led by their veteran front-court players Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams.
Johni Broome had plenty of success in the first meeting against the Tide, but it did not result in a win. Jaylin Williams, on the other hand, struggled in the first go around. He only scored seven points on 3–9 shooting in the game.
On Wednesday night, it was more of the same for Johni Broome and a complete reversal for Jaylin Williams. Auburn’s front-court scored at will against the Tide.
“We had an advantage on the inside, obviously with Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “We were able to handle any of their perimeter pressure and be able to get the ball in a certain situation where we could get tight catches, and then they obviously just fouled us.”
Alabama began the game with a small lineup. They put 6’6 guard Rylan Griffen on Jaylin Williams. It was a complete mismatch. Williams made Alabama pay, scoring 17 points in the first half.
“I did not anticipate Griffen starting at the four,” Pearl said. “It made Alabama a tougher cover when they went small, but they’re not better defensively when they’re small.”
Even when Alabama switched to a bigger lineup, they still struggled to defend Williams. He finished with a career-high 26 points.
“I knew they were going to try to play smaller,” Williams said. “I just knew I had to be patient; just be more aggressive inside.”
Johni Broome was quiet for the first part of the game due to Jaylin Williams lighting up the scoreboard, but he quickly reminded everyone of his abilities. He scored 14 points in the first half and 24 in the game. He also made a three-point shot for his sixth consecutive game.
Auburn’s frontcourt has been a strength for them all year. Alabama is a very good offensive team, but because of Broome and Williams, the Tigers were able to more than keep up while the Tide’s offense was clicking.
Eventually, Alabama’s offense cooled down, but Auburn’s frontcourt did not. Auburn extended its lead to 14 at halftime and never looked back. The second half was ripe with fouls, but they came in large part due to Auburn’s dominance in the paint. Alabama had no answers on Wednesday night.
Moving forward, Auburn will continue to rely on its veteran frontcourt. Not every team presents the same advantage that Auburn enjoyed against Alabama, but nonetheless, the point holds true.
“I think Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome could get some discussions about (best) frontlines in the country right now,” Pearl said.
With the win, Auburn moved back into a tie for first place in the SEC and ended a three-game losing streak to Alabama.
The road does not get any easier moving forward, however. Next up, Auburn will travel to Gainesville to take on Florida. The Tigers have not won there in over 20 years.
The game will tip at 2:30 on the SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
