The Auburn Tigers had quite a rough day on Friday afternoon, and it might have been even worse for Charles Barkley. The renowned former Auburn star and March Madness analyst had expressed strong confidence in the Tigers' chances of beating Yale in their first-round matchup, but was forced to eat his words after the Bulldogs managed to pull off a shocking upset.
Before showing highlights of Auburn's 2024 NCAA Tournament first-round game against Yale during TBS' postgame show, studio host Ernie Johnson acknowledged that it might be difficult for one of his colleagues to watch.
Barkley expressed disappointment over his beloved program's unexpectedly early exit after they suffered a 78-76 loss to 13th-seeded Yale. This setback came just five days after the Tigers' victory in the SEC Tournament.
Charles Barkley gives credit to Yale for defeating Auburn
After the game, Barkley acknowledged Yale's victory by saying, “Shout out to Yale, the Bulldogs. Never thought a Bulldog would beat a Tiger, but they did. Man, it's going to be a long trip from Spokane, Washington, back to The Plains.”
“They had plenty of chances. They did not play well. But Yale played better, they deserved to win the game,” Barkley bemoaned. “My Tigers, man, this kind of ruins a really good season, winning the SEC Tournament. To lose in the first round is very disappointing and frustrating.”
"Shoutout to Yale, the Bulldogs. I never thought a Bulldog would beat a Tiger, but they did. Congratulations to Yale."
—Charles Barkley on @YaleMBasketball's victory over Auburn pic.twitter.com/jMVP69jPYQ
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 22, 2024
Auburn came into the NCAA Tournament boasting 27 wins, the fourth-highest in program history for a season. The SEC Tournament victory was particularly significant, as it was the Tigers' first since 2019, a year that saw them make their first and only appearance in the Final Four in program history.
Coach Bruce Pearl's squad faced Yale, the Ivy League champion, as a 12.5-point favorite in the matchup. Despite the disappointment of Friday's loss, Barkley expressed his unwavering support for Pearl and the team, emphasizing that “there's no one else I'd rather have at the helm of our program than Bruce Pearl.”
Charles Barkley, adopting a serious tone, commended Yale for their impressive comeback from a significant deficit.
“I have to give credit to Yale. They came back strong. We had a 10-point lead with seven minutes to go, but these kids made some tough shots,” he remarked.
Johni Broome led Auburn with 24 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds.
Yale secured only its second NCAA Tournament victory in school history with the win. The Bulldogs are set to take on No. 5 seed San Diego State in the second round on Sunday.
Another upset from an Ivy League school
It's notable that for the second consecutive year, the Ivy League Tournament champion has defeated one of the pre-tournament favorites. Last year, Princeton pulled off a victory against Arizona, and this year, it was Yale's turn to make a similar impact.
Auburn's loss marked another disappointing March Madness result for the team, as they had previously been eliminated in the second round in the past two years. In this game, the Tigers were hurt by the absence of guard Chad Baker-Mazara, who was ejected after committing a Flagrant 2 foul just three minutes into the game.
Baker-Mazara, who typically contributes 10.3 points per game, was caught elbowing a Yale player as they ran up the court during a fastbreak.
“When you're a high seed and you're expected to win, you don't play well,” Barkley remarked. “That's the thing about this tournament that never disappoints.”
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