AUBURN — Auburn basketball center Johni Broome has been the SEC's best big man this season.

That's nearly unquestionable. The only player with an argument is Mississippi State's Tolu Smith, who is averaging 17.1 points per game. Broome, however, is a much bigger threat from beyond the 3-point arc, one of country's best shot-blockers and is overall more of a force on the defensive end.

What is up for debate is whether or not Broome is the best player in the SEC − regardless of position. With the midway mark of conference play in the rearview mirror, there looks to be four legitimate contenders to win SEC Player of the Year: Broome, Alabama's Mark Sears, Tennessee's Dalton Knecht and Kentucky's Antonio Reeves.

Broome has been making a strong case as of late, most recently with his dominant performance in a 99-81 win over the Crimson Tide in Neville Arena on Wednesday. Here are a few stats that show how big of a tear the junior center has been on:

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Best teams bring out the best in Johni Broome

Aside from their season-opening game against Baylor, the best team the Tigers played in their nonconference slate was Virginia Tech. The Hokies, who currently slot in at No. 57 in KenPom, are the only team on Auburn's nonconference schedule in the top 60. The next best squad is Appalachian State at No. 88.

Broome posted a season-high 30 points versus Virginia Tech, by far his best game against a non-SEC foe. Even within the conference schedule, Auburn has played Alabama − KenPom's No. 7 team − twice, and Broome was impressive in both contests. He averaged 24.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5 blocks across those two games.

A jarring level of improvement as a shooter

Broome was a 56% shooter from the foul line last season, and that number has ballooned to 64.3% in Year 2 at Auburn. That 8.3% jump doesn't even paint the full picture, either, as he's shooting 78% in SEC play this season. He knocked down nine of his 11 attempts from the free throw line against Alabama on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-10 Broome has also expanded his range beyond the 3-point arc, knocking down 42.1% of his looks from deep against SEC teams.

"He works," coach Bruce Pearl said of Broome. "He shoots like our guards shoot in every practice and after practice, so I have great confidence in him being able to shoot the ball. ... Not trying to jinx it because we talked about it last time, but he was a 55% free-throw shooter last year. ... That tells you how hard he’s worked at it, how much he cares."

Advanced numbers love Johni Broome

Broome is pacing the SEC in player efficiency rating (33.6), defensive win shares (1.8), box plus/minus (15.1), rebounding percentage (19.6%) and block percentage (10.6%), among a bevy of other categories.

A stat that can't exactly be tracked: Broome's gravity as a post scorer forces opponents to suck their defenses inside closer to the basket, leading to more open 3-pointers for his teammates. He leads the SEC in assists per game among players 6-10 or taller.

"It’s the inside-out deal," Pearl said. "He’s a monster with his back to the basket. He just knows how to use his body. You get it in there behind him, and it’s a bucket or a foul in a lot of ways. But then he also is such a good passer and likes the ball in his hands. ...

"He understands the Auburn family. This game (against Alabama) is personal. This is personal. This game matters."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball's Johni Broome is playing like an elite center