March Madness was in full swing with plenty of excitement around the Howard Bison after they secured their first NCAA Tournament win against the UMBC Retrievers. But their journey came to an abrupt end with a 101-80 defeat at the hands of the University of Michigan in the first round. On the NCAA Tournament broadcast Friday, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley revealed a promise he made to the Howard Bison while taking a simultaneous dig at Congress.

“I promised those kids I would come to a game, I’m coming to D.C. But I’m worried about all the crooks in D.C., I mean Congress,” Chuck revealed, which went viral on social media.

Despite the loss to Michigan, the Howard Bison were part of a historic moment – one of three HBCUs to make it to the opening round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in decades, joining Prairie View A&M University and Tennessee State University.

Before the tournament, Barkley had predicted Michigan’s strong run, calling them the second-best team behind Arizona. “I think Michigan was right there with Arizona all year,” Barkley told Michigan legend Tim McCormick in a podcast before the start of the NCAA Tournament.

“I thought they were the two best teams, and I thought they separated themselves. I think Duke is a really good team. And I think Florida is good. It took them a while to come together. But I think Arizona and Michigan have separated themselves.”

Barkley also shared the mic with legendary broadcaster Dick Vitale during the opening week of the tournament. Their commentary brought a unique blend of humor and insight to the March Madness broadcast.

Charles Barkley gets candid about his long-standing dream coming true because of ESPN

Since his playing days ended, Barkley’s expertise as an analyst has given fans a deeper understanding of the game. After a long stint calling games through TNT and CBS’s media rights package with Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, Barkley finally got the opportunity to commentate alongside Hall of Famer Dick Vitale in a First Four game – made possible after a media rights deal between the networks gave ESPN access to the partnership.

Vitale, on a restricted schedule to rest his vocal cords following serious health challenges, calls just one game per week.

“You know, his health is not great,” Barkley told Tim McCormick on the Go Blue Hoops podcast, describing Vitale’s recent medical challenges. “He’s pretty much only able to talk like one day a week, which is incredible. And he has to save all his energy ’cause he had some type of surgery. I mean, he beat cancer four times.”

The former Phoenix Suns star shared an anecdote from his conversation with Vitale last December, in which Barkley asked the 86-year-old why he continues to push himself in commentary despite his medical challenges. The Hall of Famer’s reply was simple yet inspiring. “Dude, I’d die if I didn’t cover college basketball,” Barkley narrated Vitale’s reply.

It was an eye-opener for Chuck, who has often said he won’t work beyond a certain age, and a reminder of what it truly means to love the game.