Charles Barkley promised Thursday during CBS’ coverage of the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 he was going to say a bad word all night.
The NBA analyst, on loan for March Madness, revealed that bad word is Alabama.
Jokes aside, the former Auburn star laid out what Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide must do in the SEC-ACC matchup with North Carolina.
The Tar Heels (29-7), who missed the tournament last year, face fourth-seeded Alabama (23-11) at 8:39 p.m. (9:39 p.m. ET) on Thursday.
The game will be live streamed on Sling (half off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and fuboTV (free trial and $20 off first month), while being broadcast on CBS.
“They are going to have to make 15 3-pointers to win this game, but they cannot match up with the physicality of UNC,” Barkley said roughly 90 minutes before the start of the game. “But their 3-point shooting, led by (Mark) Mr. Sears, as one of the great leaders on this team. If they can make enough 3-point shots, they can win this game.”
Sears is averaging 2.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Crimson Tide, scoring 21.5 points while shooting 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. Aaron Estrada is shooting 47.7 percent and averaging 14.3 points over the last 10 games.
The need for the perimeter game is simple, according to Barkley.
North Carolina is the ACC leader with 40.9 rebounds per game led by Armando Bacot averaging 10.2. Bacot and Harrison Ingram present a formidable front-court challenge. Barkley doesn’t think the Tide can handle the duo.
“It’s going to come down to that,” Barkley said. “They are a very frail team. They can’t handle North Carolina in the post. That’s a huge advantage for North Carolina, but Alabama is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country.