Greatness doesn’t come from just winning. Losing plays a big part in that as well. Despite being disappointed by his alma mater Auburn’s first-round loss to Yale last night, Charles Barkley is not the one to dwell on it. Being the 4th seed, the Tigers were favored to move to the next round. However, despite getting close, Auburn fell to the Bulldogs 76-78. After reeling from the loss, Chuck sought golf legend Jack Nicklaus’ wisdom to gracefully handle the defeat.
In the latest segment of Inside the NBA, Sir Charles compared the Auburn Tigers to one of the legendary golfers. Nicklaus won the Masters 6 times and the Major Championship a record 18 times in his illustrious career. However, being a professional for more than 40 years, he saw numerous failures as well.
Speaking of his humble nature, Barkley said, “Jack Nicklaus, somebody I really admire… he’s the best loser ever. Like you have to be a gracious loser. He says he was always a gracious loser and when I talk to the old golfing guys, they admired him…today listen, I’m just going to congratulate my Yale friends. Y’all with a better team today and you got to be a gracious loser.”
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Almost after 5 years, Auburn gave their fans a chance to celebrate as they won their third SEC Tournament title. With great defense, the team managed to win 86-67 over Florida last week. However, it was their seeding that annoyed Sir Charles. Now that they have been eliminated, the Chuckster only wants his alma mater to graciously accept the defeat, something their head coach did.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl graciously handled the loss
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As Chuck mentioned, Auburn’s coach Bruce Pearl responded with grace and greatness while congratulating Yale. “Congratulate Yale on a great victory. We respected our opponent. We knew we’d have to play well to win,” Pearl said after the game. Their seeding had become a point of contention in the days leading up to the game.
Barkley was already upset over the team being sent to Spokane. He shared, “I don’t understand how Auburn can start the SEC Tournament as a four seed. Win the tournament and stay a four-seed.” Auburn’s coach also had a similar opinion on the matter. Nevertheless, hopes were high with the Tigers being the higher seed.
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While Tigers star Johni Broome contributed 24 points and 13 rebounds, KD Johnson and Tre Donaldson also put in great performances. However, it didn’t prove to be enough. The Tigers will look to come back stronger next year.