Illinois lost to UConn by double digits back in November, but there was reason to believe that Saturday's Final Four matchup in Indianapolis would go differently. The offensively-charged Fighting Illini proved they could win ugly if necessary, as they held No. 2-seeded Houston to only 55 points and 34 percent shooting from the floor. The Big Ten squad certainly made a believer out of Charles Barkley.

The Hall of Fame forward and legendary analyst confidently picked Illinois to beat UConn and advance to Monday's national championship.

“I love Illinois in this game,” Barkley said on TNT's pregame show. “I think their size is gonna bother Connecticut, and I'll be honest with you, I don't think it's going to be a close game. I think Illinois is gonna beat em pretty good.”

The Huskies led most of the way and secured a 71-62 win. They will battle either Michigan or Arizona for their third title in four years. Barkley is never afraid to share his opinion, but his latest misfire brought a rash of taunts on social media.

“I guarantee he didn’t watch a full college game all year,” @agomes0813 remarked on X. “You know what to do Monday night, Chuck,” @JEASportsCards quipped. “Barkley is the most UNQUALIFIED college pundit ever,” @MikeBrungs proclaimed. “Barkley should stick to his {Capital One} commercials,” @AKurkjy opined. “He’s a Husky hater.”

The mockery will likely continue until the Huskies take the court on Monday night, and it will increase tenfold if they cut down the nets. Although Charles Barkley missed the mark with his prediction, there is no shame in standing behind Illinois basketball.

Brad Underwood's squad won 28 games with a Big Ten schedule and convincingly defeated Kelvin Sampson's Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen. Furthermore, Illinois ranked second in offensive rating, per KenPom, and averaged 84.4 points per game this season. Despite defending well in the paint and winning the rebounding battle, the Fighting Illini got a little loose with their 3-point defense and had no answer for UConn on the other end of the floor.

Champaign will have a bitter taste in its mouth after watching the squad shoot 34 percent from the field and 23 percent from 3-point land, but it still has plenty to celebrate. Moving forward, Illinois fans will probably prefer that Barkley reserve his emphatic declarations for other schools.