Charles Barkley is arguably the most notable basketball alumni to ever attend Auburn University. But that didn’t matter when he made his bracket.
During the halftime show of a TNT broadcast on the first day of the NCAA men’s tournament, the former NBA MVP was asked to make a prediction about who he thought would win the Big Dance.
Even though Barkley attended Auburn and the university built a statue of his likeness outside Neville Arena, he surprisingly selected rival Alabama to cut down the nets when it was all said and done.
After he made the pick, he even shouted the “Roll Tide!” rallying cry:
🗣 “ROLL TIDE”
Chuck is going with @AlabamaMBB as his pick for National Champion 🤣 @NBAonTNT #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/FfdtIoU48K
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2023
In fairness, this isn’t a horrible pick from Barkley! Alabama is certainly one of the hottest teams in the country and they have a potential future NBA star, Brandon Miller, leading the way.
But why would an Auburn alum like Barkley predict success for the school’s longtime enemy?
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl shared his thoughts (via Auburn Wire):
“Charles Barkley loves the state of Alabama. He loves Auburn first, no question about that. He has been pretty loyal to our state. All I have to say about Charles Barkley is he’s going to tell you what he thinks, whether you like it or not. If he said he thinks Alabama is going to win the tournament, he’s not doing it for any other reason than Charles thinks they’re going to win it.”
Barkley also said that he believes Auburn fans should cheer for Alabama during the tournament — and that Alabama fans should cheer for Auburn.
Auburn guard Wendell Green Jr., however, confidently declared that he doesn’t think that will “ever” happen.
