Charles Barkley did not like what he saw from the SEC on the first day of the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament.
The former Auburn basketball star used this to take a shot at Alabama football.
“I root for everyone in the SEC except Alabama in football,” Barkley said of his rooting interests. “Georgia, Florida, Tennessee; I root for the SEC, but I hate Alabama in football. That’s the only thing.”
With a record-breaking 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament and 13 advancing to the first round, the tournament’s first day was not ideal for the conference, which was hailed as the best in college basketball history.
Charles Barkley: “I thought the SEC had a rough day yesterday… I root for everybody in the SEC except for Alabama in football… Georgia, Florida, Tennessee; I root for the SEC, but I hate Alabama in football. That’s the only thing.” #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dYye7vC0RX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 21, 2025
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Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Arkansas won on the first day of the first round. However, the conference saw Texas lose in the First Four to Xavier. Then, No. 11 seed Drake knocked off No. 6 Missouri, and No. 8 Gonzaga soundly beat No. 9 Georgia. Overall, the conference went 4-3 in the first two rounds.
“I thought the SEC had a rough day yesterday,” Barkley said. “And it could get ugly quickly. Everyone talks about how great they were all during the regular season, and they were great. Now it’s time in a one-and-done scenario.”
“I had higher expectations,” Barkley added. “I expect us to get at least two teams to the Final Four, at least four to five to next weekend.”
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Charles Barkley is SEC March Madness fan but hates Alabama football
