After missing the past two games with an ankle sprain, Auburn star center Johni Broome is still working his way back ahead of Auburn’s top 10 matchup with Tennessee Saturday night.

Head coach Bruce Pearl gave the latest update on Broome’s status in an interview with AL.com at the Birmingham Tip Off Club Monday morning.

“I don’t anticipate he would practice much, certainly at the beginning of the week,” Pearl told AL.com. “We’ll probably evaluate him later on this week.”

Auburn won both games without Broome, including an 88-66 win over then No. 15 Mississippi State and a 70-68 win on the road against then No. 23 Georgia. Despite the two wins, Pearl knows how much harder it is to win in the Southeastern Conference while not at full strength.

“He’s working really hard to get back and it’s hard in this league without your best player,” Pearl said.

Broome’s injury occurred during the second half of Auburn’s Jan. 11 win over South Carolina. As Broome jumped to contest a layup by South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles, he landed awkwardly on Chaney Johnson’s left foot, rolling his left ankle.

He left the game without putting any weight on his left foot and was on the bench wearing a boot for Auburn’s last two games.

Auburn’s next game is arguably its biggest of SEC play so far, hosting No. 6 Tennessee. The Tigers will have a full week to prepare for the top 10 matchup, not playing a midweek game.

Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be streaming live on ESPN. ESPN’s College GameDay will also be live from Neville Arena that morning, running from 10-11 a.m.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m