In mid-January, Charles Barkley declared Alabama the best basketball team in the nation. “And that’s painful for me to say,” the Auburn legend confessed at the time, speaking on “The Next Round” podcast.

Now, though, he wonders.

Now, in the wake of the tragic killing of 23-year-old Jamea Jonea Harris, mother to a five-year-old boy, just days before his remarks. Now, in the wake of the subsequent capital murder charges against a former Tide player, and the cloud that still lingers over the program due to its questionable handling of subsequent events—especially the peripheral involvement of star player Brandon Miller.

He wonders if the Tide team that has struggled of late and slipped from its place atop the national rankings can reclaim the stride he saw in January and make a run at the national title.

“I don’t think they can get it back,” Barkley told AL.com.

Former Tide player Darius Miles, 21, was one of two suspects, along with 20-year-old Michael “Buzz” Davis, charged with capital murder in the January 15 early Sunday morning shooting on the Tuscaloosa strip. Records indicate Davis fired the shots that killed Harris, while Miles supplied the gun.

Davis is said to have acted after Harris, who was with her boyfriend, refused his advances.

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“You wake up one morning and you’re having a good life, then a woman gets killed and you’re probably going to jail for the rest of your life,” the NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst said. “One bad decision and lives are lost.”

During a hearing in February, police testified that Miller brought the gun (owned by Miles) to the scene of the killing after being asked to do so by Miles.

Miller, the Tide’s top scorer, was not charged with a crime. “There’s nothing we could charge him with,” said deputy D.A. Paula Whitley.

In a statement, Miller’s attorney, Jim Standridge said: “Brandon never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur.”

Alabama law states someone can be found guilty of being an accessory to a crime only if they assist another “with the intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense.”

Tide player Jaden Bradley was also at the scene and was not charged.

What transpired next, though, was a calamity of ill-chosen, unempathetic words and actions that, to many, appeared tone-deaf relative to the tragedy and its impact on Harris’ family and loved ones.

Head coach Nate Oats uttered what he later admitted were “unfortunate” remarks” – that Miller “was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” while failing to acknowledge Harris.

“In no way did I intend to downplay the seriousness of this situation or the tragedy of that night,” Oats later said. “My prayers continue to go out to Jamea Harris’s family.”

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Alabama officials “collectively” decided Miller should play and not sit out any games. In an appearance on ESPN prior to the Tide’s February 22 game on the road against South Carolina, AD Greg Byrne said that Miller and Bradley were not considered suspects and were cooperative with investigators weighed heavy in the decision. After the appearance, the university issued a statement saying Miller would remain an “active member of the team.”

He’s played in every game since the shooting and on Tuesday was named first-team All-America by The Sports News and SEC Player of the Year.

Barkley believes Alabama made the wrong call regarding Miller. “He should have been given a time out to learn decisions have consequences,” he said. “He’s lucky Alabama is behind the times. In forty-nine other states, he probably would have been charged with a crime.”

Despite being taunted by Gamecock fans, Miller scored a career-high 41 points in the Tide’s narrow 78-76 win. He’s subsequently averaged 20 points per game—though Barkley’s senses the weight of the last few weeks in impacting Miller.

“He came out and had a monster game [against South Carolina], but he hasn’t played well since then,” Barkley said. “I think the pressure is getting to him. Everybody’s talking about [the killing] and he’s got to hear it. The pressure’s only going to get worse. Asshole fans will be on him.

Alabama opens its postseason Friday as the No. 1 in the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

“They went from my favorite to,” Barkley said, “I don’t know.”