Only 7.87% of individuals predicted the No. 2 UConn Huskies to achieve the nationwide championship recreation, primarily based on 26.6 million brackets submitted for the lads’s NCAA Tournament (by way of SportsCenter).
Charles Barkley was not one among them.
Barkley and his Inside the NBA cohorts Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson joined Bruce Pearl and Clark Kellogg for the pregame broadcast forward of UConn beating No. 3 Illinois within the Final Four.
Smith stated UConn has “the heart of a champion” and cited the Huskies’ expertise as a bonus. Barkley stated, “I don’t believe that at all,” including that the expertise narrative was “overrated.”
After the Huskies gained to achieve their third nationwide championship recreation in 4 years, UConn head coach Dan Hurley used his press convention to seemingly let Barkley know he noticed his feedback.
“I just couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how hard they fought when most people probably didn’t think we were gonna win the game,” Hurley stated. “Or, at least a little bit of what I saw on TV today. You know, TNT and some of the different prognostications. It was great to win the game, and I had to throw some shade.”
The TBS and TNT broadcasts aired that clip of Hurley throughout halftime of No. 1 Arizona and No. 1 Michigan’s Final Four recreation.
“No offense taken, I’m sure?” Johnson stated whereas wanting towards Barkley.
“Not at all,” Barkley stated, later including, “If he wants some ammunition, whoever wins this game, I’m picking ’em Monday night, too, little man! Monday night, I’m taking the winner of this game, little man.”
To be honest to Barkley, he complimented Hurley and Conn after their 71-62 victory over Illinois.
“This was a complete, complete team win, and, hey, it’s gonna be very — I’m ready for this next game,” Barkley stated. “But congratulations to UConn. That was a great team win.”
UConn’s Final Four win was the lads’s basketball program’s nineteenth consecutive win within the Sweet 16 or later. Hurley and the Huskies are one win away from their third nationwide title in 4 years, having gained back-to-back in 2023 and 2024.
UConn will face No. 1 Michigan within the males’s nationwide championship recreation starting at 8:50 p.m. EST at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday evening.
