Charles Barkley consoles Mark Sears following Alabama Final Four loss
Charles Barkley is not a fan of Alabama — far from it, in fact. He was rooting against the Crimson Tide on Saturday against UConn, hoping they would not advance to the program’s first-ever national championship game. But Barkley has continually stated how much respect he has for Nate Oats and the program. Not just this year but last year while earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
So when the final buzzer sounded in Phoenix and Alabama lost to UConn, Barkley made sure to console Mark Sears. Barkley stepped off the TBS set to greet Sears as he headed back to the locker room. A quick handshake, hug, and some words came from Barkley’s end.
The Alabama-Auburn rivalry still lives on but Barkley made sure to acknowledge the effort Sears put in throughout the NCAA Tournament run.
“Nate Oats and his kids, man,” Barkley said postgame. “They made the University of Alabama proud. It was awesome to have a great season, Obviously, we’re going to celebrate UConn but as an Auburn guy — this is painful — I got to take my hat off to Nate Oats and his entire coach staff and his team. They were awesome.”
You can watch the full moment between Barkley and Sears here.
Alabama did everything it could against UConn. As most teams have found out this season, the Huskies are too much to deal with over 40 minutes. Their defensive intensity went up multiple levels in the second half, shutting Alabama down from the three-point line and defending the paint well.
Sears finished with 24 points, shooting nine of 14 from the field. As usual, his three-pointers were on point making three of six. While he continued to show up and score 20 points — and make it look easy at times — Sears potentially walks away from his final game in college basketball with a tough loss.
There is a decision for Sears to make regarding his future. Testing the NBA waters is certainly possible while Oats and the coaching staff in Tuscaloosa would have to have him back for another season.
For now, taking the loss in will be the guard’s priority. He does have some time before a final decision has to be made.