Johni Broome on end of Auburn's dream season - 'It hurts' - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — Soon after the buzzer sounded in the national semifinal, Auburn star big man Johni Broome slumped over a few feet from the baseline, his hands etched into his thighs and head slung toward the floor.

As his teammates waded toward the postgame handshake line, Broome stood frozen with the grief from of Auburn's 79-73 loss to Florida. After a second-half full of missed opportunities that saw Broome scoreless for the game's final 15 minutes, Auburn's historic season, Broome's resplendent career and the dream of winning the school's first men's basketball title ended.

«It's been a special year, probably best year of my life,» Broome said, speaking barely above a whisper in the Auburn locker room. «I wanted to win the national championship. It hurts. This team was special.»

In the postgame locker room, Broome wore a black hood pulled over his forehead and his cracked, red eyes looked down at the locker room floor. He was barely audible as he tried to put the game and season into context. Broome went scoreless for the game's final 15 minutes and 12 seconds after dominating much of the first half. He closed the game's final 15 minutes with three missed free throws, two misses from the field and three turnovers, which included an offensive foul.

«I feel like we got the looks that we wanted to get,» he said. «I wasn't able to capitalize and finish 'em.»

By the end of the game, he looked overcome with exhaustion and emotion. And in the Florida locker room, the coaches and players took credit for the physical toll they inflicted on Broome.

Florida is the rare team that rotates in four capable big men, and the coaching staff pointed out that the wave of fresh bodies helped tire out Broome. The combination of the