After a sloppy first half in Friday’s Sweet 16 game between the Michigan Wolverines and Auburn Tigers, Charles Barkley, an Auburn alum, was vocal about his concerns regarding the quality of play. While the Tigers managed a narrow 30-29 lead at halftime, Barkley expressed his displeasure, stating, “I was disturbed and disgusted by that first half of basketball. Ten turnovers. I always tell you, Ernie, the two most important stats in basketball are rebounding and turnovers. You’ve got to value the basketball. Ten possessions — at least five of those would have been layups. We got the lead, but if we don’t win this game, it’s because of the turnovers we had in the first half. I ain’t gonna lie. I knew this was gonna be a dogfight, but you gotta value the basketball kids.”
Charles Barkley was “disturbed and disgusted” by Auburn’s turnover-prone first half against Michigan.
“You gotta value the basketball kids, you gotta value the basketball…The most important thing in basketball is the basketball.” pic.twitter.com/G9UHqfDDVG
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 29, 2025
Barkley’s co-hosts not only laughed at his candid remarks but also showed agreement. “That is actually prophetic,” Kenny Smith noted. “It is,” Barkley replied, prompting Smith to urge him to repeat his statement slowly. Barkley obliged, emphasizing, “The most important thing in basketball is the basketball. You have to value the basketball.” This emphasis on valuing possessions underscored the reality that Auburn’s halftime lead came despite their 10 turnovers, as Michigan also struggled, committing eight turnovers of their own.
In the opening moments of the second half, it became evident that neither team had absorbed Barkley’s halftime message.
Neither team was watching the halftime show.
Might not have been a bad idea. https://t.co/qj4on7rfWs pic.twitter.com/lLhrClQtAX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 29, 2025
