Charles Barkley hates how good the coach is! It’s been over three decades since Sir Charles stepped out of Auburn. But he has never forgotten his connection with his alma mater. And heading toward March Madness, we get to see more of Barkley. Just recently, he joined Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes during Auburn’s matchup against Ole Miss. While sharing his insights, he also opened his thoughts on Alabama and its head coach.

Yes, he was talking about Alabama head coach Nate Oats again! “Let me tell you something about that guy, Coach Oats. Hate it when he came to the SEC,” Chuck said. However, the real reason for his dislike is how good Oats is as a coach and nothing negative. Barkley, who had watched the coach and was already aware of his skills, knew that Oats joining Alabama would make them championship contenders.

“I’ve been watching about three or four college games of day for the last two months getting ready for March Madness I was watching those Buffalo teams play and I was like man that guy can really coach and then when the Alabama Job open up I was like man I sure hope Coach Oats don’t get that job and he got the job and the rest is history,” Chuck said after appearing in the commentary booth for the game between Auburn and Ole Miss. 

Oats has contributed massively to elevate his team. Under his guidance, the team won two SEC Tournament championships, made three Sweet 16 appearances, and earned its first-ever appearance in the Final Four with the coach. Barkley is seemingly right in his claims. However, he is also the biggest critic of Auburn’s in-state rivals. 

Before Alabama’s matchup against UNC, he had some tough words to criticize the team. “They are a very frail team. They can’t handle North Carolina in the post. That’s a huge advantage for North Carolina, but Alabama is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country,” Barkley had said before the matchup. Alabama remains ridiculously good from the three-point line with 10.6 threes per game compared to the other teams in college basketball, who have 7.1. It’s a cumulative of all the other teams. 

However, Oats and his team turned it into fuel for their competitive fire and won the game. Following this, the head coach, too, had some words for the legend.

Nate Oats sweetly boasts of proving Charles Barkley’s criticism wrong

After their 89-87 win over UNC, the head coach addressed Barkley’s comments and said, “It was great. Grant (Nelson) stepped up. We were able to guard (UNC’s Armando) Bacot a little better one on one. You know, Charles Barkley called us frail. I don’t think (Grant) was frail tonight. He showed up tonight. But yeah, they stepped up big in the second half,” Oats said.

Barkley’s comments were seemingly hinted at Grant Nelson, who was crucial for the win. The player scored 24 points and claimed 12 rebounds in a top performance. 

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Later in the locker room, he called out to Chuck again and said, “Where’s the cameras? Charles Barkley called us frail… we ain’t frail! We ain’t frail! And we’re in the Elite Eight and we’re one game away from the Final Four,” Oats said on a post-game speech. 

This beefing was quickly over when Chuck took to praising the team. Later, when Alabama secured a spot in the Final Four with an 89-82 victory over the Tigers, the Phoenix Suns legend said, “I want to congratulate the University of Alabama… ROLLLL TIIIIIIDE!”

While Chuck is candid about his criticism, he publicly praised the team. That’s a bit of Charles Barkley for you. He knows to unbutton the screws of even the toughest people.