This is an opinion column.

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There was a question about Auburn when Johni Broome went down with his ankle injury.

Could the Tigers survive in the SEC without its best player?

After Tuesday night’s runaway, 88-66 victory against No.15 Mississippi State, I’m starting to wonder if Broome is even the best player on the country’s best team.

Did you see that steal and windmill jam by freshman Tahaad Pettiford?

Did you see that leadership by Chad Baker-Mazara?

It was all on display inside the jungle that is Neville Arena. Playing as the No.1-ranked team in the AP Poll for the first time this season, Auburn delivered a performance more convincing and emphatic than any other Quad 1 win on its already overstuffed NCAA Tournament résumé.

There is a reason why Auburn was my preseason pick to win the national championship. It was based on how the team plays defense. Before Tuesday night, Auburn led the nation with seven blocks per game. Without Broome in the lineup, Auburn had nine blocks in the first half against a tough Mississippi State squad with Sweet 16 potential.

Dare I say it? Is Auburn better without Broome?

In one of the most preposterous stats you’ll see come out of a basketball game between two good teams, Auburn finished the game with twice as many blocks (10) as Mississippi State had assists (five).

And all without Broome, Auburn’s signature rim protector who turned his ankle last Saturday at South Carolina.

In the absence of Broome, Auburn front-liner Chaney Johnson stepped up and delivered. Not only did Johnson tie his season high in minutes (34), but he had 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Johnson, who is 6-7, played at Alabama-Huntsville for three seasons before transferring to Auburn. I know I’ve been praising him way too much this season, but Auburn coach Bruce Pearl doesn’t get enough credit for identifying talent and building a team.

It’s one thing to recruit a great player who has five stars by his name and a McDonald’s All-American jersey hanging up in his locker, but it’s a completely different (and maybe more impressive thing) to find an under-appreciated glue guy that fits a system and help transform that player into an SEC success story.

Pearl has done it with Baker-Mazara, a JUCO transfer, and he has done it with Johnson, too.

Baker-Mazara showed glimpses of his potential last season, but he flamed out in the NCAA Tournament. Would CBM be a liability once again? That was one of the biggest questions about this team going into the season.

Against Mississippi State, when Pearl needed him most, CBM carried the Tigers with a season-high 20 points in just 25 minutes.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now. CBM is my favorite player in college basketball. But that doesn’t mean he’s exempt from scrutiny. After all, CBM went into this season with a reputation for losing his cool. Opposing teams all know that about him. It’s on the scouting report. Every game is the same, too. Teams are always trying to bait CBM into committing silly technical fouls.

Mississippi State predictably went after CBM early, but Auburn’s skilled wingman didn’t fall for the traps.

I don’t know if he’s going to get drafted (he should), but Chad Baker-Mazara will get a shot to play in the NBA. Like Broome, he has put in the work and is a completely different player at this point in his career than when he first arrived at Auburn.

With CBM and Dylan Cardwell setting the tone, every level of Auburn’s attack elevated to a higher standard. And now we know why Aden Holloway transferred to Alabama. It’s because Auburn freshman Tahaad Pettiford was not going to be denied.

Holloway is good. Pettiford is better and he has been at his best in big games. He dropped 20 at Duke and has scored in double digits in five of his last six games. Against State, his 12 points somehow felt like 24.

Is Pettiford better than Alabama freshman Labaron Philon? We’ll know soon enough.

There’s no timetable for Broome’s return to the lineup, but after what we saw against the Bulldogs, Auburn doesn’t need him back until he’s completely healthy. A couple weeks ago, I posed the important question about these Tigers going into SEC play. How would they find that next level? Now we know.

Auburn’s not better without Broome, but if they continue to play like this in his absence, the Tigers could grow into an all-time team when he checks back into the lineup.

BE HEARD

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”