Ole Miss narrowly escaped one of the biggest collapses in NCAA Tournament history on Friday night, best captured by Charles Barkley. After gaining a significant 22-point lead early in the second half, Ole Miss almost squandered that advantage as the Tar Heels cut the deficit to just two points in the final minute, with Ole Miss ultimately winning, 71-64.
Following the game, during the CBS studio show, Barkley used a vivid analogy to describe Ole Miss’ near breakdown: “Ole Miss, they started trying to drive the speed limit. They got the big lead, they were driving like an old lady, like ‘Let’s not go over the speed limit,’ trying to hold up traffic. They really started milking the clock. They were holding on that thing so tight. They literally let North Carolina back in the game.”
Ernie Johnson, the host, humorously remarked, “Now we’re going to have all kind of old ladies calling in and getting mad at the Chuckster.” In response, Clark Kellogg added, “There was no malice intended.” While Kellogg made a valid point, one couldn’t help but think that Shaquille O’Neal would have chimed in with a jab about Barkley’s driving at that moment.
Barkley concluded, “Get in the right lane! Stay out of the left lane, old people!”
Ernie Johnson: “Now we’re gonna have all kind of old ladies calling in and getting mad at the Chuckster.”
Charles Barkley: “Get in the right lane! Stay out of the left lane, old people!” #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/XZbWjIs5ZG
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 21, 2025
It’s unlikely that many “old people” were offended by Barkley’s remarks. He has been on fire during this year’s NCAA Tournament, recently calling out McNeese State coach Will Wade for taking a new job mid-tournament, playfully trolling Fox News, and even jokingly requesting CBS to rescue him from Kellogg and Kenny Smith.
Interestingly, Barkley is 62 years old, and most players in this year’s tournament would likely consider that to be pretty old.
