Bruce Pearl laughs off Charles Barkley’s pick to win the NCAA Tournament

Bruce Pearl laughed off Charles Barkley picking Alabama to win the NCAA Tournament.

The Auburn coach knows how the former Auburn star feels about the Tigers and the state of Alabama.

“He loves Auburn first, there’s no question about that,” Pearl said. “But he’s been pretty loyal to our state. And all I can say about Charles Barkley is he’s going to tell you what he thinks, whether you like it or not. And so if he said he thinks Alabama’s going to win the tournament, he’s not doing it for any other reason than Charles thinks they’re going to win it.”

It was on “The Next Round” that Barkley on Tuesday put it this way: “It’s painful, it’s still painful, Alabama’s the best team in the country, I’m going to pick them to win it.”

With Auburn and Alabama each playing in Birmingham, Barkley also told fans to cheer for the other team, because it’s not like football.

Bruce Pearl reacts to Charles Barkley’s prediction that @AlabamaMBB will win the tournament. #MarchMadness

? @NCAA https://t.co/RA1rMZ76yB pic.twitter.com/ehAVOAz5hF

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) March 15, 2023

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.