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

Two weeks earlier, Johni Broome limped off the court with an ankle injury. On Saturday night, he returned to lead No. 1 Auburn over No. 6 Tennessee

Everything Bruce Pearl said during his press conference on Thursday about Rick Barnes and No. 6 Tennessee, who No. 1 Auburn will host in Saturday night’s game (8:30 Eastern Time, ESPN) at Auburn’s Neville Arena: Opening Statement “These two teams,

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

The No. 7 Vols (17-2) face the No. 1 Tigers (17-1) and coach Bruce Pearl, who coached Tennessee from 2005-11. Pearl, of course, has turned around the Auburn basketball program since taking over in 2014.

Bruce Pearl on Thursday said he was still unsure of the status of center Johni Broome for No. 1 Auburn’s game against No. 6 Tennessee Saturday night at Neville Arena in Auburn. “I’ll know more tomorrow and Saturday,

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

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.