Miami coach Jim Larrañaga received some inspiration from a Basketball Hall of Famer before the Hurricanes’ NCAA tournament matchup with Auburn, but not in the way you’d typically expect.
“I was tuned into the games before us and I listened to Charles Barkley tell the CBS crew that if Auburn won, he would take off his shirt,” Larrañaga said. “And I thought to myself, ‘Man, no one wants to see that, Chuck.’
“So we did everything possible to make it possible that he wouldn’t have to do that.”
Barkley, an Auburn alumnus and CBS analyst, will stay fully clothed. The 10th-seeded Hurricanes upset No. 2 Auburn 79-61 in the second round of the tournament on Sunday night.
Barkley was a good sport about Larrañaga’s jab, praising Miami and its coach after the game.
“Coach has been a great coach for a long time,” Barkley said. “This is all about Miami. This is all about Miami, man. I love my school. They had a good season — just a good season, not a great season. But they beat us today. They beat us down today.
“I told you I was worried at halftime. They put me out of my worry quickly. So shoutout to the Hurricanes (and) coach Larrañaga.”