Charles Barkley went through every emotion as he watched his Auburn Tigers fall to the Florida Gators in the first Final Four semifinal game. He lived and died on every possession throughout the game.
The Auburn great was feeling good after the first half, as his Tigers brought an eight-point lead into halftime. But then, the tides turned. Florida went on a 9-0 early second-half run to tie the game. The two heavyweights traded blows the rest of the way before the Gators took control in the final minutes on the back of 34 points from star guard Walter Clayton Jr.
Barkley acknowledged that he was "disappointed" with the game's outcome, but gave Florida credit as the better team Saturday night. The CBS broadcast prepped a montage of Barkley's in-game reactions as he watched Auburn's season come to a close. And the Hall of Famer went through each stage of grief in a matter of moments as the game slipped away.
Stage 1: Denial
Stage 2: Anger
Stage 3: Bargaining
Stage 4: Depression
Stage 5: Acceptance
What a whirlwind of emotions. You can watch the montage in full below.
Charles Barkley watching Auburn lose to Florida 😭 pic.twitter.com/vQgaGmEbfq
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 6, 2025
After the game, Barkley comforted Johni Broome, the Tigers' star big man, with an embrace on the way to the locker room. The Tigers finished their incredible season with a 32-6 record and a Final Four appearance
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Charles Barkley Goes Through the Five Stages of Grief Watching Auburn's Final Four Loss.
