Saturday’s Final Four tilt between Connecticut and Illinois did not go according to plan. At least, it didn’t go according to Charles Barkley’s plan.
Offering up his pregame predictions, Barkley was very clear: he did not think the UConn Huskies, the team that has been to the Final Four in three of the past four seasons, had any chance of knocking off the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Charles Barkley: “I’ll be honest with you- I don’t think it’s going to be a close game. I think Illinois is going to beat [UConn] pretty good.” 🏀🎙️#MarchMadness #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/2bU3QhxYL0
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 4, 2026
“I love Illinois in this game,” Barkley said. “I think their size is gonna bother Connecticut. And I’ll be honest with you- I don’t think it’s going to be a close game. I think Illinois is going to beat ’em pretty good. I do. You saw the flaws… Reed is going to be a problem, but I think that size is going to really bother him. Because the way Connecticut plays, they play inside-out. Illinois does not have to double him. They can use all those big bodies on him, and I wear him down, in my opinion. But I do. I love Illinois. I don’t think it’s going to be close.”
Good thing Charles Barkley isn’t known to enjoy placing a wager or two, because he would’ve been dead wrong on this one. UConn handled Illinois nearly wire-to-wire, winning 71-62.
And Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley wasn’t going to let that one slide during his postgame press conference.
UConn HC Dan Hurley shares his initial thoughts after the Huskies’ win over Illinois in the Final Four from Indianapolis. @UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/GgRrCcG6vh
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) April 5, 2026
“I just couldn’t be more proud of my guys and, you know, how hard they fought when most people probably didn’t think we were going to win the game, or at least a little bit of what I saw on TV today, you know, TNT and some of the different prognostications,” Hurley said. “It’s great to win the game, and I had to throw some shade.”
Shade earned. Though it’s incredibly hard to imagine that “most people” truly thought the game was going to be as lopsided as Barkley predicted. If there’s been one lesson to learn in college basketball throughout the past 15 years, it’s been to never count out UConn.
Perhaps Barkley will strike a different tune on Monday prior to the National Championship game; though after Michigan’s undressing of Arizona, he might have similar thoughts about the Huskies’ chances.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.