Charles Barkley’s legacy at risk as Auburn inch closer to NCAA title

Charles Barkley's Auburn Tigers have a legitimate shot at winning the NCAA Championship after their stellar run.

Charles Barkley’s legacy at risk as Auburn inch closer to NCAA title

Johni Broome and Auburn legend Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley was undersized to play the role of a forward in the NBA. But he used his sheer grit and tenacity along with his skills to become one of the greatest ever to play the game. But all of that stardom started at Auburn University, where he proved to the world that height was not everything.

Barkley led the Auburn Tigers to their first NCAA tournament. That along with his individual accolades made sure he is forever known as one of the greatest players to grace their halls. Those are the reasons why Charles Barkley was selected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

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This season, as part of the CBS Sports team, he has been watching his Auburn Tigers become one of the best teams in the country. They have now reached the Final Four and will next face the Florida Gators on April 5th.

One the prime reasons for their win over the Michigan State Spartans in the round of Elite Eight, were the performances of star forward Johni Broome. His game leading 25 points as well as 14 rebounds was as dominating as they come. So much so, that his teammate Chaney Johnson believes Broome is one of the best ever.

I ain’t gonna lie, Charles Barkley’s got some competition. Johni Broome is your national player of the year. Might be one of the best ever…..to play for Auburn.

Chaney Johnson said

His belief could be true, considering Charles Barkley never led his university to the NCAA Final Four. Johni Broome has done that. On top of it, they are two wins away from capturing their first championship. If they do, he could overtake Barkley to be Auburn’s best ever.

Johni Broome and Auburn can win it all

The Auburn Tigers had an excellent season leading up to the NCAA March Madness. In that run, they started out strong and held a solid 27-2 record. Those two losses came at the hands of the Florida Gators and the Duke Blue Devils.

Then they fizzled out towards the end of the regular season. However, those late season losses were not concerning and so far, that logic has held true. Their run in March Madness has proved to everyone that they are a team that can win it all.

Their next opponents though, are not the easiest to deal with. But Johni Broome and his teammates will look for answers along with their coaches. If they figure out how to stop the Gators, they can move up to the Finals to possibly meet Duke.

Cooper Flagg has been sensational, but it is not as if they are unbeatable. If the Tigers can put together a solid gameplan, they can upset the fan favorites and capture the university’s first ever men’s college basketball championship.

Ernie Johnson uses championships to clap back at Charles Barkley

Ahead of the Elite Eight game between Auburn and the Michigan State, the crew of CBS Sports were previewing the games. During that session, Charles Barkley told Ernie Johnson that all he will not be a part of this discussion since all Johnson could ever do was hand players Gatorade.

A while later, the crew were talking about how good it feels to cut a piece of the net after they have won a college championship. Kenny Smith said, he could not do it in college but did cut the net after his NBA championship wins. Then Ernie Johnson looked at Barkley and said.

You have a similar story, Charles? No, you don’t.

Ernie Johnson said

This comeback sent the rest of the crew into splits while the Round Mound of Rebound was left stunned. It seems he did not expect Johnson to come back with such a strong well-placed rebuttal. If Auburn win the national title, expect more jokes to fly Barkley’s way.