Bruce Pearl is optimistic Auburn will have one of its top players available when it opens the season Monday against George Mason.

Morehead State transfer Johni Broome has been dealing with an ankle injury that limited him in Auburn’s exhibition against UAH and will sideline him for the team’s practice Friday afternoon at Neville Arena. Despite Broome being held out Friday and walking around with a boot on his foot since the end of Wednesday night’s tune-up against the Chargers, Pearl is hopeful the big man will be good to go Monday when No. 15 Auburn opens its season against George Mason.

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The Tigers host the Patriots at 7 p.m. at Neville Arena, with the game airing on SEC Network+.

Broome’s ankle injury predates the preseason game against UAH, and Pearl said Friday there was consideration given to holding Broome out of the exhibition altogether. Instead, Broome played 10 minutes off the bench, finishing with six points on 2-of-4 shooting, three rebounds, two steals, an assist and a blocked shot in the Tigers’ 87-69 win.

The reigning OCV Defensive Player of the Year, who transferred to Auburn in the offseason, isn’t the only Auburn player dealing with an ailment three days out from the season opener, as a trio of Tigers are set to miss Friday’s practice due to illness, according to Pearl. Allen Flanigan, coming off a vintage performance in the exhibition win against UAH, has a stomach virus. Jaylin Williams, who was 6-of-6 shooting and finished with a team-high 16 points along with four rebounds in just 12 minutes, is coping with a migraine, while walk-on Jalen Harper has the flu.

“There’s a lot of flu going on around campus,” Pearl said, “and so we’ll be a little bit shorthanded today.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.