Charles Barkley revealed his March Madness bracket, and ... he has Auburn getting upset?
Charles Barkley is never afraid to make bold predictions. But his reasoning for those predictions? Let’s just say they’re not always based on unbiased logic.
Case in point: Last year, Barkley picked Kent State to beat UCLA in the NCAA tournament, and even wore a Kent State jersey on air amid a feud with a certain noisy UCLA dad.
So it seemed safe to assume that, now that Barkley’s alma mater is in the tournament for the first time in 15 years, one of his 2018 Final Four picks was locked in. Auburn had to be penciled in as one of the four, right?
Well, apparently not. Barkley revealed his bracket on CBS’ March Madness studio show on the Thursday, and has the Tigers going down in the second round to New Mexico State:
Charles Barkley finally revealed his bracket. ✏️#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/aknKHXQeLR
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 15, 2018
Barkley does have Alabama losing in the first round, but it appears he’s picking with his head rather than his heart.
That, however, doesn’t mean Sir Charles doesn’t have some puzzling selections. Not completely absurd, but certainly questionable. He has Rhode Island beating Duke in the second round. He has Arkansas in the Elite Eight. He has San Diego State beating both Michigan and North Carolina, and advancing to the Elite Eight as well.
Barkley’s studio pal, Kenny Smith, a North Carolina alum, took particular exception to the San Diego State selection. He also generally ridiculed Barkley’s picks:
Barkley also likes Arizona again. He picked the Wildcats to win it all in 2017, only to see them bow out in the Elite Eight to Xavier. This year, he has them beating Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and Gonzaga en route to the title game, but losing to Michigan State.
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Henry Bushnell covers soccer and college basketball for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.
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