- 335 words
March 17, 2026, 9:37 p.m. ET
Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale were part of truTV‘s broadcast crew for the second game of Tuesday’s First Four in the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament.
Prior to tip-off of NC State vs. Texas, Barkley joined the studio crew that included Jalen Rose, Bruce Pearl and Jamal Mashburn.
Barkley was asked about his favorite for this year’s March Madness, which devolved into a stream of consciousness.
“This is the Arizona ass-kicking Invitational, and we’re accepting all challenges,” Barkley said.
“Listen, Michigan has a great team. I love coach (Dusty) May, I think that (LJ Cason) injury might hurt them a little bit. I think the injuries are going to hurt Duke. Now you could have gone back and forth between UConn and Florida, who is at No. 1 seed.
“Obviously I think St. John’s got screwed a little bit in the seeding,” Barkley added.
“And I’m going to make one thing perfectly clear: Miami Ohio got screwed, too. They should be a higher seed. They went 31-0, and I know my man Bruce Pearl, who I love, disagrees with me. I’m not a big proponent of strength of schedule. It’s not their fault everyone in their conference sucks. They only played the schedule they were dealt. They should be in the main draw. And I don’t usually root for teams other than Auburn to be honest with you, but I’m rooting for Miami Ohio to advance in this tournament.”
Miami plays in Wednesday’s First Four against SMU.
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