Bruce Pearl and top-ranked Auburn are 2-0 without star forward Johni Broome, who hopes to make his return on Saturday night.

The Auburn Tigers needed a Johni Broome sized spark to get by the 6th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday night

Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers grabbed a 66-63 win over South Carolina on Saturday, but victory came at a steep price.

Bruce Pearl is hopeful that Auburn forward Johni Broome will make his return for Saturday night's top-10 showdown against No. 6 Tennessee.

Credit for the recent renaissance of the Florida basketball program lies mostly on the shoulders of its current head coach, Todd Golden, who came to Gainesville three seasons ago to turn around a team that was mired in mediocrity.

ATHENS — Bruce Pearl has a No. 1-ranked team at Auburn, but the veteran coach knows that playing in the SEC will make it hard it hold its place at the top.

While all eyes will be on Galopin Des Champs in his bid for a third Irish Gold Cup at the weekend, one horse – Florida Pearl – stands out on his own, with an unparalleled four victories in the Leopardstown race that has had so many great winners down the years.

Auburn's Bruce Pearl and Tennessee's Rick Barnes (Photo ... Auburn took over the No. 1 spot when Tennessee got shellacked at Florida on Jan. 7, but no team in college basketball has more wins ...

6 Tennessee basketball plays at No. 1 Auburn this Saturday in an epic matchup down on The Plains with former head coach Bruce Pearl ... "Well, Florida is one of the best rebounding teams in ...

Auburn has bolted out to a 17-1 start that includes a 5-0 Southeastern Conference record in Bruce Pearl's 11th season on the Plains. The two most recent Auburn victories transpired without Johni Broome, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound center/forward who is averaging 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 blocked shots per game.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl provided the latest on Broome's injury. When asked about Broome's status, Pearl didn't rule him out.