Johni Broome is having a season to remember for the Auburn Tigers. The 22-year-old has averaged 18.6 points per game while leading the SEC in rebounds per game (11.1) and blocks per game (2.6). Broome has been among the best big men in the SEC since transferring to Auburn ahead of the 2022-23 campaign and is playing his best basketball this season.
Not only is Broome dominating on the court, but his Tigers are as well, as their 25-2 overall record (13-1 in conference) would indicate. They're the No. 1 team in the country for a reason.
Oftentimes, a player having as good of a season as Broome on a team as good as the Tigers would result in said player receiving serious National Player of the Year consideration. In Broome's case, however, it feels as if that is not the case. Cooper Flagg is the reason why.
Johni Broome might not have a chance to win the National Player of the Year, and it's Cooper Flagg's fault
It's tough to think of many collegiate athletes in recent memory who entered a season with more hype than Flagg, and yet, he has lived up to every bit of it.
Flagg is averaging 19.5 points per game on 48.6/37.3/81.8 splits, along with 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks. Flagg has been an efficient scorer, a versatile defender, and a very willing passer. Oh yeah, he's doing this as an 18-year-old. He is as highly regarded as he is for a reason.
Flagg's dominance especially at his age is why he's projected to go No. 1 overall in the upcoming NBA Draft, but the No. 1 pick in the draft isn't always the best player in college basketball. Broome being a 22-year-old hurts his draft stock, but has no impact in deciding who the National Player of the Year is.
Still, while Broome has been excellent, Flagg has been just as good, if not better, while leading a Duke Blue Devils team that is 24-3 (15-1 in conference). Broome has somewhat of a case, but Flagg being arguably better statistically on a team pretty much just as good while also exceeding the hype he entered the year with makes him really tough to beat.
There are still a couple more weeks for Broome to make things more interesting, but for now, the National Player of the Year award feels like Flagg's award to lose.