Charles Barkley Still Thinks Auburn Is Better Team Than Duke After Loss

The Auburn alum had only positive things to say about his Tigers, even though they lost 84–78 to the Blue Devils.

NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley discusses a game on-air. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

No. 9 Duke may have handed No. 2 Auburn their first loss of the season on Wednesday night, but Auburn alum Charles Barkley seemed to take away more positives from the Tigers' performance than negatives.

Duke held onto the lead from 3:10 left in the first half until the end of the game. The Blue Devils even had a double-digit lead in the second half. But, Auburn kept it close up until the end. And, based on the Tigers' performance, Barkley believes his college team is a better team than Duke overall.

"I watched the entire game—Auburn's got a better team than Duke," Barkley said on The Next Round. "They didn't play great last night, in my opinion. ... When you're watching that game, you're like, 'Man, Auburn's really good.'

"That was a good loss. I know there's no such thing as moral victories, but there are when you're actually paying attention like, 'Man, Auburn's really good.' 'Cause that was a really tough environment, Duke was really ready, it was national television, everybody was watching. So, I thought it was a good loss. When I was watching that game, I was saying to myself, 'Man, Auburn's got a better team than Duke.' That's what I got away from that game last night."

“Auburn’s got a better team than Duke, that’s what I got away from that game last night.” Charles Barkley on @AuburnMBB pic.twitter.com/OlAVA4DRe4

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) December 5, 2024

Barkley's comments made some college hoops fans scratch their heads since Duke obviously beat Auburn on Wednesday night. However, there were some categories where the Tigers outperformed the Blue Devils statistically, like in rebounds (39 to 34) and assists (17 to 11). But, Auburn had eight turnovers opposed to Duke's four, and accumulated 20 fouls.

We'll see if Barkley's opinion of his Tigers continues to be this positive as the season goes on. The next ranked opponent Auburn faces will be No. 8 Purdue on Dec. 21.

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