Charles Barkley changes his tune on Clemson after predicting first round upset

Basketball analyst Charles Barkley picked Clemson to lose to New Mexico State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when the bracket was released last Sunday.

Instead, Clemson bounced Barkley’s alma mater, Auburn, by a score of 84-53 Sunday night in the second round of the tourney.

Clemson, the No. 5 seed, has advanced to the Sweet 16 and will face No. 1 seed Kansas Friday night in Omaha.

Barkley watched the game from the studio and came away very impressed with Clemson.

“They’re playing great. I take my hat off to them,” Barkley said during halftime of UMBC and Kansas State. “I love my Tigers. We had a great year, but Clemson’s just better.”

Clemson led 43-19 at halftime and was up by as many as 41 points about midway through the second half.

“Things are never good when the closest this game was was 0 to 2,” Barkley said. “They showed the Clemson fans in the stands and they were not even cheering anymore.”

The victory improves Clemson to 25-9, while Auburn’s season ends at 26-8.

Despite the loss, Barkley said he was proud of the way Auburn played this season. The Tigers won the SEC during the regular season.

“I’m going to congratulate Clemson, they’re playing fantastic, but this is the greatest season in Auburn history,” Barkley said. “I’m proud of these kids and what they accomplished this year. It’s going to end on a bad note, but the big picture, a great job by Bruce Pearl and those kids.”

This story was originally published March 18, 2018 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Charles Barkley changes his tune on Clemson after predicting first round upset."