Former Auburn Tigers star Charles Barkley was a first-round pick in the 1984 NBA Draft to the Philadelphia 76ers.
After losing in the semifinal of the ACC Tournament to the Duke Blue Devils, the North Carolina Tar Heels were projected as a bubble team. North Carolina made the tournament as a No. 11 seed, facing No. 11 seed San Diego State and winning 95-68.
However, it was revealed that the university's Athletic Director, Bubba Cunningham, was on the tournament selection committee.
According to Inside Carolina, Cunningham received a bonus for North Carolina making the tournament.
Former Tar Heels star Kenny Smith (1983-87) stated that the play-in game proved North Carolina was the right pick, but Barkley was not having it.
"First of all, you had Harry Houdini on the committee," Barkley said. "Had a bonus and a check for putting yall in the tournament. Let me tell you something, never trust a guy named Bubba. Don't forget that."
Barkley's Tigers made the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and beat No. 16 seed Alabama State in the 1st Round 83-63.
After beating San Diego State, North Carolina faced the No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels on Friday. The winner of that game takes on the No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones, who beat No. 14 seed Lipscomb in their first game.
The last couple of years have been interesting for North Carolina men's basketball. Hubert Davis took over as head coach at the start of the 2021-2022 season after Roy Williams retired.
Davis took the Tar Heels to the national championship in his first season but lost to the Kansas Jayhawks 72-69. The following year, North Carolina entered the season as the No. 1 team in the AP preseason polls, but the Tar Heels finished the season unranked after a 20-13 finish.
For Auburn, the Tigers take on the No. 9 seed Creighton Bluejays on Sunday. Tipoff is at 7:10 p.m. ET on TBS.
Related: Charles Barkley Sends Blunt Message to Shaquille O'Neal
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM.