Charles Barkley doubles down on 'MAC sucks' remark after Miami's loss
· Yahoo Sports
CBS and TNT college basketball analyst Charles Barkley must not have been impressed that the 12th-seeded Akron Zips kept it close with No. 5 Texas Tech for 35 minutes in the NCAA Tournament round of 64, because Barkley dissed the Zips and the rest of the Mid-American Conference again.
Earlier in the week, Barkley argued that the RedHawks shouldn't have had to play in the NCAA Tournament First Four in Dayton, adding that "it's not their fault everybody in their conference sucks."
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"If you win 31 straight games, you had a heckuva season," Barkley said after the 11th-seeded RedHawks lost to No. 6 Tennessee at Philadelphia's Xfinity Mobile Arena. "I'm glad they didn't lose in the first round. I thought they should've been seeded higher. They get penalized - people say strength of schedule. I hate strength of schedule. It's not my fault the other teams in the conference suck. That's not their fault. You want coach to be able to recruit their players too?"
Barkley also gave the RedHawks credit.
"I wanted to salute those young guys. They had a terrific season," Barkley said. "Those guys had a great year. Tennessee was just too big, too strong, too athletic for them. But listen, they can hold their heads high. We talked about it the last couple days. You win 31 straight games against anybody. You know why I know it's hard? Because nobody else did it."
Fellow analyst Jalen Rose showed support for the RedHawks at the expense of Ohio State after the Buckeyes made an early exit in the NCAA Tournament.
Former Miami basketball great Wally Szczerbiak sent colleague Bruce Pearl a message after the RedHawks earned their first NCAA Tournament win since Szczerbiak's Sweet 16 team in 1999.
Before the RedHawks' First Four win against SMU, actor and former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar John Cena sent a special message to former Taft High School standout and current RedHawks guard Eian Elmer.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Charles Barkley doubles down on 'MAC sucks' remark after Miami's loss