Charles Barkley is one of the loudest voices in sports, and he rarely holds his tongue. Ahead of the 11-seed battle between Texas and NC State in the First Four, Barkley was a guest on the pregame show. He and Dick Vitale will be calling the game, and Jamal Mashburn asked the former Auburn great what he thought about Kentucky.
Charles Barkley doesn’t see Kentucky basketball having a 2014-like run
“I got some bad news for you, Jamal,” Barkley started, “If ya’ll can make it to the second weekend, that’ll be a great season.” And to be fair, he isn’t wrong.
Santa Clara is one of the best 10-seeds in the tournament, maybe even better than some of the 9-seeds. They match up with Kentucky well and don’t have the size of a typical midmajor; their front line is big. It will not be an easy game.
Then if you get past that one, you have potentially 2-seed Iowa State waiting for you. Iowa State may just be the best team in the Midwest bracket. They are long, deep, and they have two superstars who can ruin your day, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jeffries.
Barkley bluntly said, “I don’t see Kentucky making a deep run.”
A Sweet 16 would be good for this group because of consistency.
Barkley talks about the ‘privilege’ of playing in Rupp, and Kentucky’s up-and-down season
“Number 1, it is always an honor and a privilege to play in Rupp Arena when I was there…But anytime I get to go to Lexington, it is an honor and a privilege.”
I think the fans will agree with that, they show up and show out nearly every night in Rupp Arena, but they also travel too.
“They probably got the best fanbase, they’re like the Steelers and the Packers, their fans travel like pack rats,” Barkley said. With St. Louis being so close to Lexington, I do expect to see quite a bit of blue getting in the building.
And to hear a legend like Barkley, who played at Auburn, tell BBN they are special is always good to hear.
Kentucky and Santa Clara are coming up on Friday, but the First Four is currently airing on TruTV. Howard has already advanced, and as of this writing, Texas is up on NC State early, 3-2.
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