It’s not every day you get to see two players competing for the National Player of the Year title in college basketball. Last season, Zach Edey made history as the first player in over 50 years to win the prestigious award back-to-back. This year, Cooper Flagg is looking to carve his own place in history, aiming to become one of the few freshmen ever to claim the coveted NPOY trophy. But with stiff competition ahead, it won’t be an easy feat!
A certain 22-year-old forward, who isn’t even expected to be drafted in the first round of the upcoming draft, is standing in the way of Cooper Flagg and history! Yes, I’m talking about Auburn’s Johni Broome, the player leading the Tigers to what could be their greatest season ever. With the goal of delivering a championship that Neville Arena has never seen before, Broome is out to prove that Flagg isn’t the only one worthy of National Player of the Year glory!
College basketball insider Jon Rothstein in his podcast College Hoops Today gives his own set of reasons as to why Johni Broome is the favorite to win the coveted John R Wooden Award. He says, ” He (Broome) had 19 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks against Alabama and it should be warranted right now what Broome is doing in a conference like the SEC that had 13 teams projected to make the NCAA tournament because he is doing it in the best league in the country and I do not want to discount the talent that Cooper Flagg is at Duke, he’s terrific, it’s like a video game but it should be noted that the ACC had 4 teams in the bracket reveal on CBS.”
Dec 4, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) controls the ball in front of Auburn Tigers center Johni Broome (4) during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images
For much of the season, Flagg was the undisputed favorite to take home the National Player of the Year award, especially with Auburn’s Johni Broome sidelined by a lower ankle sprain earlier this year. But now, the tables have turned! Broome is making a serious push, and the odds reflect the shift thanks to Flagg playing in a weak ACC. According to ESPN Bet, Flagg is still the slight favorite at -170, but Broome is quickly closing the gap with +120 odds, making this race tighter than ever!
A deeper dive into the numbers tells a fascinating story! Evan Miyakawa, who created a metric called BPR—Bayesian Performance Rating, calls it “the best attempt at encapsulating the total value that a player brings to his team on offense and defense when he’s on the court.” And according to this metric, Johni Broome has the nation’s best BPR. Not only that, he also leads the country in offensive BPR and ranks in the top 30 for defensive BPR. In fact, Auburn’s team efficiency margin is the seventh-best in the country when he’s on the floor which tells you all you need to know about his impact.
There’s still plenty of time until April, and with the NPOY race heating up, both Cooper Flagg and Johni Broome have everything to play for! With Duke and Auburn eyeing the championship, every game from here on out will be a chance to make a statement. So, let’s dive into their upcoming matchups.
What’s next for Cooper Flagg and Johni Broome?
The Duke Blue Devils, with a strong 15-1 conference record, have a pretty smooth road ahead. They’ll be facing only unranked teams in their remaining games, which should make things easier for Cooper Flagg to keep proving his worth. With matchups against Illinois, Miami, Florida State, Wake Forest, and North Carolina, it looks like Duke will coast to victory.
On the other when you play in a stacked conference like the SEC, you can’t expect any freebies. The Auburn Tigers will play four ranked teams in their next five. They play Georgia, number 24 Ole Miss, number 17 Kentucky, number 7 Texas A&M, and number 4 Alabama.
These upcoming games won’t be a walk in the park for Auburn, but if Broome performs well, it will only add to his case for NPOY. Like Jon Rothstein pointed out, averaging 18.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 50.1% from the field in a tough SEC is more impressive than putting up 19.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on 48.6% shooting in a weaker ACC.
Who do you think comes out on top? Do let us know in the comments!
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