Odds Strongly in Favor of Charles Barkley Picking Auburn Over UNC in Sweet 16
- Charles Barkley has favored his alma mater Auburn thus far. Will he continue the trend on Friday night when Auburn takes on top ranked North Carolina in the Sweet 16?
- Does Auburn stand a chance against UNC?
- What are the odds Charles bets against Auburn in the Sweet 16?
Charles Barkley did admit last week that he was nervous before Auburn played and ultimately beat Kansas. The Jayhawks entered the tournament as the four seed in the Midwest, which was just one above the Tigers. UNC, meanwhile, is the top seed and one of the favorites to win the whole thing. If Chuck was sweating a little before, they’ll need a mop and bucket on the set come Friday night.
Chuck is ready for Auburn to play! ??#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/j7zUSLFmnh
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2019
Odds Charles Barkley Picks Auburn to Beat UNC
| Will Charles Barkley Picks Auburn to Beat UNC? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -2000 |
| No | +900 |
*Odds taken 03/26/19
Can Auburn Pull Off the Upset?
While the Tigers aren’t the probable choice in most brackets to break out a Cinderella story on Friday night, they do have a pretty decent shot at playing spoiler. The North Carolina Tar Heels program is one of the best in the country, but they also did enter the tournament as the lowest-ranked top seed in terms of probability. This bodes very well for an Auburn upset in the Sweet 16.
Following some early season hiccups, the Tar Heels did electrify crowds by going on a 16-2 tear. However, that record is a tad misleading as they’ve notched quite a few duds against top-ranked teams. North Carolina took it on the chin from Michigan, Kentucky, Virginia and Duke this year, and haven’t played the Tigers, who entered Week 20 of the schedule ranked 14th in the nation.
Auburn has been an offensive powerhouse and are currently on a 10-game winning run dating back to February 27th.
Auburn has been an offensive powerhouse and are currently on a 10-game winning run dating back to February 27th. To add to that, North Carolina will also enter this game a little rusty after defeating 16-seed Iona in their opener and 9-seed Washington in the Round of 32. Their warm up games may have the reverse effect heading into their toughest tournament matchup yet.
Lotta red on Charles Barkley's bracket thus far ?#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/bRjqlJPndF
— Will 郭 (@GuoBlue) March 24, 2019
Barkley’s Choice
Now, this isn’t the bet, so don’t take it too literally, but Chuck did already bet against Auburn before the tourney started. Will he stick to his guns now?
Well, he’s been wrong quite a bit, so we’re pulling for a change of heart and it may be wise to follow our lead.
Ryan is what you call a seasoned vet. It's been nearly 13 years and he has hosted three sports radio talk shows, two football television shows, two sports podcasts, released his first book in 2012, had his own ESPN E:60 documentary shot, and was the first inductee to ESPN's Hall of Fans.
