The Loop
Lose an NCAA Tournament game, win a round of golf... with Charles Barkley?
By Alex Myers
Losing in the NCAA Tournament is tough, but at least there's a silver lining for one coach. North Dakota State's Saul Phillips, whose 12th-seeded Bison upset No. 5 Oklahoma on Thursday before getting knocked out by fourth-seeded San Diego State on Saturday, couldn't help but cry in a post-game press conference. That led him to remark that analyst Charles Barkley would probably make fun of him.
But Barkley didn't -- at least, at first. He spoke about how much respect he has for college coaches and that he knows how much losing sucks (And as one of the greatest NBA players to never win a championship, he does know). Then in typical Barkley fashion, he cracked, "I don't think he was crying because he lost, I think he was crying because he's gotta go back to North Dakota." Ouch.
Barkley isn't as cold as he seems, though. On Sunday, he revealed he called Phillips and had a nice conversation. "I'm still never going to North Dakota, but if he comes to Arizona, he can play golf with Chuck," Barkley said.
Lose an NCAA Tournament game, win a round of golf with Charles Barkley? It could be worse -- especially if you've just spent a long winter in North Dakota.