The Grand Canyon Antelopes put up a solid fight but ultimately lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
The 12-seed, which upset 5-seed St. Mary’s in the first round, trailed by eight at halftime but were never able to push things to the next gear to come back and win.
Not everyone saw their effort as being worthy of a tournament team. TNT’s Charles Barkley, never one to mince words, went on to say that he thought they played one of the “dumbest games” he’s ever seen.
"Grand Canyon, that was the dumbest game of basketball I think I may have ever seen… I don't think they ran a play the entire 2nd half…. They just went 1-on-1 every single time… 5 whole assists? We've got a crack staff if they found 5 passes." – Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/G35tPIaxeD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 25, 2024
“Grand Canyon, that was the dumbest game of basketball I think I’ve ever seen,” scoffed Barkley. “Everybody went one-on-one. They missed…how many free throws?… I’m not sure what they were doing offensively. I don’t think they ran a play the entire 2nd half.
“That was some of the dumbest college basketball I’ve ever seen [played by] grown college men. [Mark] Sears was the only guy who played with complete composure the entire game.
“Congratulations to Alabama University (corrected as ‘The University of Alabama” by Ernie Johnson), it’s a great school. Nate Oats does a great job… but I’m telling you something… There was some of the worst basketball decisions that you’re ever gonna see a college team make out there.”
Charles wasn’t the only person complaining about the game on Sunday. Alabama head coach Nate Oats had some harsh words for the referees at halftime, though things ultimately worked out in his favor.
The Grand Canyon players are probably already pretty bummed out about the result of the game. Hopefully, they don’t hear what Sir Charles had to say about them, at least not for a while. Cause when they do, that’s gonna sting.
At least that extremely loud, extremely annoying Grand Canyon fan had fun.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.