Atlanta | Ohio State isn’t a bad team, Auburn is just a great one, and it showed on Saturday.

KenPom No. 1 Auburn jumped through Ohio State early and never looked back as it defeated the Buckeyes by a score of 91-53.

“Our guys respected (Ohio State),” Bruce Pearl said. “We saw what they did to Texas. We saw what they did to Rutgers. As a result, we had a great preparation.”

Johni Broome continued his dominance by posting a game-high 21 points and 20 rebounds, something not achieved by an Auburn player since Kevin Ardister in 1989.

Auburn will be back in action on Dec. 17 when it takes on Georgia State at Neville Arena.

Here are some takeaways from the Tigers’ win over Ohio State.

JOHNI IS THE BEST PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY

Yes, exactly what the title says, and at the moment it’s really not that close.

In addition to the 21 points and 20 rebounds, Broome also recorded six assists and three blocks in just 26 minutes.

The only thing stopping Broome was his team’s dominance.

When he last went out, Broome alone had more rebounds and assists than Ohio State as a team.

“He’s so incredibly talented,” Pearl said of Broome. “And then six assists and no turnovers, in the truest sense of the word. And then he said to me, with about ten minutes left, he said… ‘Coach, put Turtle in there and leave him.’ Get a few minutes.

On the season, Broome has an assist rate of 24.8 percent, a turnover rate of nine percent and a block rate of 9.5 percent. Oh, and he’s also averaging 20.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

And here’s the scary thing: He still believes he can improve his game.

“I feel like I can get better,” Broome said after the game. “I shot 50 percent today. I missed a lot of shots today. I wouldn’t say it’s my best basketball. I feel like I can play a lot better. I feel like I can play basketball better now.”

DON’T FORGET THE OTHERS

Broome is very good, but this Auburn team is much more than just him.

Including Broome, seven Auburn players scored at least eight points.

Denver Jones, Dylan Cardwell and Jahki Howard each reached double figures with 14, 10 and 11 points, respectively.

Tahaad Pettiford scored nine points and five assists.

Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn’s second-best player, had just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting and it didn’t matter.

Auburn is just a complete team.

SOFT RIMS

Remember when Auburn couldn’t shoot on the road? That doesn’t seem to be a problem for this team.

After shooting 13 of 30 from distance, the Tigers are shooting 36.5 percent from distance in neutral and away games this season, and according to KenPom, Ohio is the lowest-ranked team they have ever played on a neutral site State, which is No. 36, which is still a Quad 1 game.

Jones shot 4 of 5 from deep and Pettiford was 3 of 4 to lead the Tigers from behind the arc.

“When Miles (Kelly) or Chad or Denver or Tahaad shoots the ball, they think it’s going in,” Pearl said after the game. “Jahki too. They think it’s going in. So, that effect on the perimeter…Chaney Johnson and Johni Broome, our bigs can shoot it too. You have to go out and guard us on the perimeter that’s opening up.” Shake things up inside.

PUSH THEM OUT OF THE LINE

Ohio State hasn’t had the same success as Auburn beyond the arc.

Entering the game, Ohio State was hitting 41 percent from distance on the season, ranked No. 5 nationally.

The Buckeyes weren’t too far off that number with a 37.5 percent shooting rate from distance, but they only made six three-pointers, and two of them came in the final minute of the game.

Just like against Memphis, Auburn was able to force a great three-point shooting team off the line, which in turn completely shut down the Buckeyes’ offense.

“I love our defensive system,” Pearl said after the game. “And I think if Chaney and Dylan and Johni can guard it, they can guard one through five, and that’s just — and Denver Jones, Chad, Miles’ length. Our guards are getting better defensively. And again: shopping.”

Ohio State shot just 35 percent from the field, its second-worst mark of the season.

Bruce Thornton, who came into the game averaging 16.2 points per game, scored just three on 1-of-8 shooting, and that led to Ohio State dropping 39 points late in the second half. It is the fewest number of points he has scored in a game all season.

A big part of it? Denver Jones.

“He twisted his ankle a little bit in practice yesterday,” Pearl said of Jones. “We were a little worried about him, especially Bruce Thornton, who is such a great player. But mentally he stayed right and ready.”

This team is really good

We all know it, but it needs to be emphasized how good this Auburn team is.

Ohio State started this game ranked No. 28 by KenPom and No. 19 in the NET, so this will likely end in a Quad 1 win for Auburn, and it won by 38 points.

The Tigers played off the bench in the final minutes, still keeping up with Ohio State’s starters.

Auburn is No. 1 in KenPom, and the difference between the Tigers and Alabama, the No. 7 team in KenPom, is greater than the difference between the Tide and Oklahoma, which is ranked 43rd.

In addition to KenPom, Auburn is also ranked No. 1 in the T-Rank and No. 4 for EvanMiya, although EvanMiya was not updated in the Ohio State game.

Auburn is also widely considered the No. 1 overall pick.

It’s December, yes, but make no mistake, this Auburn team is special.