The NCAA Tournament is still in its early stages, and Auburn legend [autotag]Charles Barkley[/autotag] has already made two statements that have Auburn fans scratching their heads.
On Monday, Barkley said that he believes that Auburn fans will cheer for Alabama in the NCAA Tournament and that Alabama fans will return the favor.
He followed that by publically picking the Crimson Tide to win the National Championship on the local show The Next Round. Even though he described the action as painful, he uttered the words “Roll Tide” when making his selection.
During Wednesday’s media availability at Legacy Arena, head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] was asked about Barkley’s pick, and whether there was a motive behind it. Pearl says that he thinks Barkley has good intentions for choosing Alabama to win it all.
“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.”
(Watch Bruce Pearl’s press conference in its’ entirety here)
The Tigers and Tide will both open their runs toward the Final Four on Thursday at nearby Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Auburn’s first game is against Iowa, and it will tip off at 5:50 p.m. CT on TNT.
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