Without All-American center Johni Broome, Auburn men’s basketball needed extra contributions from others against a daunting Southeastern Conference slate.

Against Mississippi State, it came from Chaney Johnson. Saturday afternoon at No. 23 Georgia, it was star freshman Tahaad Pettiford who led an otherwise cold Auburn offense with 24 points, helping the Tigers win 70-68.

“He’s a special player,” Bruce Pearl said on Auburn’s postgame radio show. “Special players have got to make special plays in tough situations.”

Pettiford’s 24 points set a new career high, and Saturday’s performance was the latest of a string of impressive outings against ranked teams.

His previous career high came against Houston, scoring 21. At Duke, Auburn’s lone loss, Pettiford scored 20 points. Not only were all three of his top games against ranked teams, they each came away from home.

“I wouldn’t say I get excited. I just get mentally prepared for it,” Pettiford said after the game when asked if he gets more excited to play on the road. “BP, he’ll let us know throughout the week what type of game this is going to be, what type of environment. He’ll let us know how he wants us to play.”

The Tigers shot 39% from the field, their lowest mark this season, allowing a once 17-point first-half lead to dwindle. Pettiford however, shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range, helping ignite an Auburn offense that had one of its slowest games of the season.

“From a shooting standpoint, he’s been the most impactful freshman that I think I’ve ever had at the point guard position,” Pearl said during his postgame news conference. “Sharife Cooper was as courageous and was as gifted a playmaker, and penetrator and floor general. But he couldn’t shoot like Tahaad.”

Pettiford is now shooting 43.8% from 3 this season, a mark that leads the team. He’s also third on the team in scoring, something the former McDonald’s All-American has achieved despite having yet to start a game.

Saturday was the second straight game Auburn has been without Broome, who leads the team in scoring. Without him, Auburn shot an inefficient 14-for-38 on 2-pointers, an area the Tigers are usually strong in.

While that level of inefficiency is uncharacteristic for Auburn, it’s something that will need to improve when the Tigers return to the floor, facing No. 6 Tennessee next Saturday.

But for a team missing its best player, no one is apologizing for a Quad I road win in the SEC.

“We didn’t play our best. We had two or three guys that had some subpar shooting nights. But I’ll give Georgia the credit for that,” Pearl said. “Our kids obviously hung in there and found a way. And Tahaad Pettiford’s pretty special.”

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com