Less than three minutes into No. 2 Auburn's Tuesday night drubbing of Georgia State, star forward and National Player of the Year contender Johni Broome exited while holding his right shoulder, reemerging later in the first half in street clothes.

"His right shoulder kind of came out, came right back," Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said postgame. He added later that he "can't imagine" Broome playing against No. 16 Purdue Saturday.

Flash forward a few days, and it appears that an MRI and further evaluation have changed that assessment. Pearl said Thursday that, even though Broome was not yet practicing, he would travel with the team with the possibility he suits up.

“We got a positive report from the standpoint of no surgery required and no damage," Pearl said. "I couldn’t tell you status (of playing Saturday) whether it’s questionable, likely – we just don’t know."

Broome averaged a 19.7 points and a Division I-leading 12.7 rebounds before his injury. Forward Chaney Johnson would claim a starting role in Broome's absence. The senior scored 26 points on 12-of-14 shooting in the Georgia State win, on top of eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. His scoring total accounted for most of the Tigers' 35 bench points in the win.

Even beyond Johnson, Auburn is perhaps as prepared as a team can be to lose its best player. Broome's absence could mean more playing time for the Tigers' five other players averaging double-figure scoring totals, including twitchy freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford, who profiles similarly to the guards that have given Purdue fits the last few years.

“Very few people can sub and be better – and they can,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said.

Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama.