Charles Barkley graciously accepted Auburn's Final Four loss after gloating at halftime vs. Florida
Charles Barkley graciously accepted Auburn's Final Four loss after gloating at halftime vs. Florida
By his own admission, Charles Barkley does not watch a ton of college basketball.
Fans who tune into March Madness every year are well aware of this, given the fact Barkley is one of the tournament's top analysts and broadcasters despite a reluctance to do any sort of prep before Selection Sunday... or the First Round... or even, sometimes, the Elite Eight.
But the Auburn alum doesn't need to know much about who is playing for his alma mater to immediately go all-in when the Tigers are contending for a national title. With No. 1 seed Auburn facing No. 1 seed Florida on Saturday in the Final Four, Sir Charles was certainly not shy about rooting for his former team. Which meant he also had to give the Gators their flowers after they defeated Auburn, 79-73, to reach the championship game.
That could not have been fun after Chuck was all smiles on the broadcast when Auburn went into halftime up 46-38, but Barkley actually stuck to the high road here.
There it is, folks. Charles Barkley showing how to handle a gutting loss with class and calmness. Maybe he really is becoming a role model after all.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Edmonton Oilers defeat Florida Panthers in overtime to take Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
A Canadian team hasn't lifted the Stanley Cup in almost 32 years and now the Edmonton Oilers are one step closer to breaking that drought after defeating the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime to take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. Leon Draisaitl secured a feed from Connor McDavid and found the back of the net with just over 30 seconds left in the first extra period to send Oilers fans at Rogers Place and the Moss Pit outside the arena into an excited frenzy. Edmonton got off to a fast start with Draisaitl scoring 66 seconds into the game but the defending Cup champ Panthers did not let that keep them down. Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand each scored in a span of two minutes to give Florida the lead. The 28-year-old Bennett added his second goal of the game early in the second period as the Edmonton crowd, once bursting with excitement, was stunned into silence. Despite an Oilers goal just over a minute later, the Panthers found themselves in a familiar spot – holding a lead through the first two periods. Florida, appearing in its third consecutive Cup Final, was 31-0 when holding a lead at the end of the first or second period in the playoffs under head coach Paul Maurice. Edmonton had other plans of handing the 58-year-old Maurice something he hasn't experienced since trading the cold of Winnipeg for the sunny beaches of south Florida three years ago. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm, playing in only his second game back due to injury, tied it with 13:27 remaining in regulation off a perfect pass from McDavid which would eventually force overtime. Both teams traded scoring chances for most of the extra period, but Panthers winger Tomáš Nosek was called for delay of game after putting the puck over the glass with time winding down. With their two best players on the ice for the ensuing power play, McDavid and Draisaitl did what they do best to secure victory for the Oilers. After the game, Draisaitl – despite having a hard time describing the feeling of scoring the game-winner in a Stanley Cup final series – credited his teammates for setting up the scoring chance. 'You are obviously locked in. Especially on the power play, you're looking to finish it,' Draisaitl told reporters. 'Again, some incredible plays that made it pretty easy for me to put that home. It's a special feeling. It's great for right now but we got to look ahead and get read for Game 2.' McDavid, the three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, called his teammate Draisaitl 'invaluable' to the team. 'Does so many good things,' McDavid said. 'Clutch, face-offs, you name it, he does it. Doesn't get enough respect or credit for his defensive abilities. When he's dug in, theres not many better – maybe nobody better.' Edmonton's Game 1 victory marks a stark contrast from last year's final. The Oilers fell into a dreaded 3-0 series deficit before clawing back to force a Game 7 where they suffered heartbreak. The Oilers are looking to become the first Canadian team to win the Cup since the Montreal Canadians in 1993 while the Panthers can be become the first team to win back-to-back Cups since their in-state rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, did so in 2020 and 2021. Game 2 is on Friday before the series shifts to Sunrise, Florida for Games 3 and 4 starting on Sunday.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Initial FPI rankings place Florida in College Football Playoff picture
Initial FPI rankings place Florida in College Football Playoff picture Florida's return to national prominence in 2025 appears likely, with DJ Lagway leading the offense. ESPN's recent relaunch of the College Football Power Index has the Gators among the top 20 teams in contention for an NCAA Championship. Florida sits at No. 18 on the 2025 College FPI with a 14.3 power index. ESPN projects the Gators to finish the 2025 season with a 6.4-5.6 record and gives UF a 68.2% chance to reach six wins (bowl eligibility). But Florida also plays the toughest schedule in the country, according to ESPN, which means a seven-win season could be enough to sneak into the playoffs. Florida's CFP odds sit at a surprisingly high 14.5%, and 0.7% odds to win the national championship are the 19th best. "FPI is a predictive rating system that estimates each FBS team's strength (in points per game relative to the national average) on offense, defense and special teams, making adjustments for starters lost, recruiting talent and other personnel changes," Paine reminds us. "Those numbers are then plugged into the schedule, and everything is simulated 20,000 times to track each team's odds of winning its conference, making the playoff and advancing through to the national title." FPI projects the SEC to send 4.6 teams to the College Football Playoff this year, with Alabama, Georgia and Texas being the strongest candidates. Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M make up the next tier of SEC teams, with South Carolina and Oklahoma on the outer edge. Florida is behind all of them, but a few key wins could change things. ESPN highlights an Oct. 4 matchup with Texas and the Georgia game on Nov. 1 as the most anticipated games on Florida's schedule, ranking Nos. 6 and 15 on the national schedule. The biggest reason for optimism is Florida being ranked inside the top 20 on both offense and defense. The Gators' 7.0 offensive FPI ranks No. 14 and is the result of a 27-spot jump over the offseason. On defense, a 6.4 rating is good for No. 16 in the country, one spot up from the last update. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stanley Cup Final: Leon Draisaitl Is The Edmonton Oilers' Overtime Hero
EDMONTON – It was a cruel twist of fate for the Florida Panthers but a beautiful result for the Edmonton Oilers as Leon Draisaitl scored the overtime-winner on the power play off a feed from Connor McDavid. The Panthers were attempting to kill a puck-over-the-glass penalty when Draisaitl scored with 31 seconds remaining to give his Oilers first blood in the Stanley Cup final. Advertisement "I'm the beneficiary, but the work was done before that," Draisaitl said post-game. "(Corey Perry) with a great play to (McDavid) then an amazing pass, and I'm the beneficiary. There were lots of great plays on that play. It made it 'easy' for me to put that home." The game got off to a great start for the Oilers, as Draisaitl pounced on a long Sergei Bobrovsky rebound a little more than a minute into the contest to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead. McDavid nearly made it 2-0 when he hit the post on a shorthanded rush, but special teams would turn the tide soon after. The Panthers tied up the game midway through the first on a screen shot from Carter Verhaeghe that went off Sam Bennett in front of the net. The Oilers challenged the play for goalie interference but were rebuffed as officials ruled that Brett Kulak had pushed Bennett. Advertisement Not only did Florida have the game knotted up, but the Panthers were also given a power play for Edmonton's failed challenge. The Cats made the Oilers pay on that man advantage as Brad Marchand popped in an easy one after he was left alone by the side of the net. Three consecutive power plays – two for Edmonton, one for Florida – dominated later in almost comical fashion as Corey Perry took a tripping call right off the faceoff for Anton Lundell's previous interference call. Not long after, Aaron Ekblad put Florida down again when he held Draisaitl. Leon Draisaitl (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images) Florida got off to the quick start in the second as the Oilers lost Bennett on the rush, leaving him open for a beautiful feed from Nate Schmidt two minutes into the frame. But Edmonton bounced back soon after when Viktor Arvidsson powered a slap shot past Bobrovsky. Advertisement After that, however, both goaltenders stood tall in the middle period. Bobrovsky thwarted excellent chances by Jake Walman, Trent Frederic and Evan Bouchard, while Stuart Skinner kept things close for the Oilers with great consecutive stops on Aleksander Barkov and Schmidt. "He gave us a chance to win, and that's what you ask of your goalie," McDavid said of Skinner. "He made some big saves in the second and in overtime." The Oilers found life in the third, however, when McDavid danced toward the net with the puck only to dish it off to Mattias Ekholm, who buried a wrister to even up the score. Edmonton carried the play for much of the frame outshooting Florida 14-2, though the contest remained tied. Regulation solved nothing, so the Cup final kicked off with overtime, where one of the best chances came on a Kasperi Kapanen rush. The Oilers right winger split the 'D' and rang one off the post, nearly sending the building into hysterics. Advertisement With less than two minutes to go, Tomas Nosek took a puck-over-the-glass penalty and ultimately, the Oilers made the Cats pay, taking a 1-0 series lead. Draisaitl and McDavid each had two points tonight. "Ever since I got here, they don't take many nights off, that's for sure," Brett Kulak said of Draisaitl and McDavid. "They're usually our top guys every single night, and the bigger the stage, the better they get." The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Join The Chat As Oilers Host Panthers In Game 1 Of Cup Final The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Join The Chat As Oilers Host Panthers In Game 1 Of Cup Final Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs. Advertisement Game 2 goes down on Friday in Edmonton at 8 p.m. ET. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on
