WASHINGTON, D.C. — Charles Barkley is picking a St. John’s upset over Duke basketball in the Sweet 16 of 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament.
While discussing his bracket during halftime of the Purdue vs. Texas game on Thursday, March 27, the Auburn basketball legend discussed the top-seeded Blue Devils (34-2) and head coach Jon Scheyer’s upcoming match up with the 5-seeded Red Storm (30-6) and head coach Rick Pitino.
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“I’m really looking forward to that game,” Barkley said. “Duke has not played great the first couple games. I like St. John’s in the game. I think it’s going to be a fantastic game, and I’m riding with the Red Storm.”
Duke mounted a second-half comeback to take down No. 16 Siena 71-65 in the opening round of the tournament then took down No. 9 TCU 81-58 in the second round. St. John’s took down 12-seeded Northern Iowa 79-53 to open the tournament then defeated 4-seed Kansas 67-65 behind a Dylan Darling buzzer-beater in the second round.
The Blue Devils are making their 31st Sweet 16 appearance while the Red Storm is playing in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
Tipoff is set for 7:10 p.m. on Friday, March 27 on CBS from Capital One Arena. The winner advances to the Elite 8, where it will play the winner between No. 2 UConn and No. 3 Michigan on Sunday, March 29.
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Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Charles Barkley pick in Duke basketball vs St John’s in March Madness
