ATLANTA — Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl, whose Tigers face Michigan State in the Elite Eight, is hoping to get some hardware for famous alum Charles Barkley to flex.
“Somehow, I’ve got to find a way to win so that Charles Barkley can give Magic Johnson some crap and represent,” Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl said. “Magic’s always floating those rings at Charles, right? He’s always floating those rings, and Charles ain’t got any rings. I’ve got to try to get some rings for Charles, so he can float them back at Magic.”
Magic won the national championship at Michigan State and five NBA titles with the Lakers. Barkley, notoriously, never won an NBA title.
Pearl sees top-seeded Auburn as the little guy in Sunday’s matchup. When asked who was the underdog, he was succinct.
“Auburn,” Pearl said. “This is the third time in our history we’ve gone to the Elite Eight. This is uncharted water for us. We’re talking about Michigan State. We’re talking about Tom Izzo.”
He touched on the background of his team and how he believes they perform against a storied program like Michigan State.
“Most of our guys are guys who were mid-majors or junior college or Division II,” Pearl said. “I’m not going to let Michigan State play the underdog card even though we’re the No. 1 seed and they’re the No. 2 seed. No, they’re Michigan State.”
Pearl recognizes the challenges of playing an Izzo-coached team.
“We know our place,” he said. “We know what we’re trying to go up against, and we know the uphill battle that it is when you play against a hall of fame coach, and obviously, a legendary program.”
Auburn vs. Michigan State time, TV channel
Time: 5:05 p.m. ET Sunday
TV: CBS
Streaming: Fubo (free trial)
Andy Mathis is a student in the University of Georgia’sSports Media Certificate program.