The NCAA Tournament is in full swing as we progress to the second round of matchups. One of the more intriguing matchups set to take place is between Auburn and Creighton. These are two of the more experienced teams in the country with each holding deep tournament aspirations. When talking about Auburn you can’t get far without bringing up AP unanimous All-American Johni Broome. The senior forward is averaging 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 blocks per game this season proving to be a foundational part of the country’s number one team.
Ahead of Saturday’s showdown, here is my favorite Johni Broome player prop bet to place on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Best Johni Broome prop bet for Saturday
Typically known for his physically imposing presence on the interior, this is an interesting matchup for Johni Broome. As a team, Creighton ranks 104th in opponents points allowed giving up 69.7 per game. They also rank 47th in opponents’ field goal percentage, 58th in total rebounds, and 114th in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Four-time Big East Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner will be Broome’s primary matchup for this game. The 23-year-old enters with a 7-foot-1 frame and 7-foot-5 wingspan. Kalkbrenner comes in averaging 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game which creates some unique challenges.
While Broome will still surely get his in stretches, expect this matchup to bring in a more mild scoring a rebounding output than we have come to expect from his sky-high standard. Instead, I like Broome to assert himself as a playmaker and be effective in capitalizing on off-ball cutting surrounding him. Auburn is comfortable playing through Broome out of the post and his growth as a passer has been notable this year.
On the season Broome is averaging a career-high 3.1 assists per game and has tallied as many as six assists in six different games this year. He has tallied three or more assists in 17 of the 32 games he has played this season. The Tigers have five different players averaging in double figures who are capable of picking up Broome’s scoring slack and Creighton is a much weaker defensive team on the perimeter. Expect this to be a calculated effort by Auburn to attack from this area and for Broome to help create these chances by initiating as a playmaker throughout.
While Broome is still the more complete player compared to Kalkbrenner, this is a matchup I don’t love for him. With Creighton weaker on the perimeter already, look for this strategy to come together and for Broome to deliver as a passer. Give some thought to the +205 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook for 4+ assists as well but for the sake of this article I am riding with 3+ assists at -125 odds.
Best Bet: Johni Broome 3+ assists (-125)
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