Charles Barkley gritted his teeth as he gave his prediction for who will emerge from March Madness as this year’s national champion.

The Auburn legend and NBA Hall of Famer, who will be covering the NCAA Tournament for Turner Sports, said Tuesday that he picked Alabama to cut down the nets in Houston in three weeks. It was “painful” for Barkley, understandably, given he’s the most prominent figure in Auburn basketball history and has strong allegiances to his alma mater.

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Still, Barkley gave a “Roll Tide” as he made his pick for the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed to go all the way. Alabama’s national title hopes begin in Birmingham, the opening-weekend site that is also hosting Auburn and its four-team pod from the Midwest Region.

On Wednesday, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who has developed a strong relationship with Barkley during his nine years on the Plains, reacted to Barkley’s national champion pick during the Tigers’ turn at the dais inside Birmingham’s Legacy Arena.

“Let me tell you something,” Pearl said. “Charles Barkley loves the state of Alabama. He loves Auburn first, no question about that. He has been pretty loyal to our state. All I have to say about Charles Barkley is he’s going to tell you what he thinks, whether you like it or not. Is he said he thinks Alabama is going to win the tournament, he’s not doing it for any other reason than Charles thinks they’re going to win it.”

Pearl’s Auburn team earned a nine-seed in the Midwest Region and will open up the tournament Thursday at 5:50 p.m. against eighth-seeded Iowa. That game will air on TNT as the first game of Session 2 at Legacy Arena. Alabama will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the game preceding that in Birmingham, with tip set for 1:45 p.m. on CBS.

“I played against them a couple times, and they are good enough to win it,” Pearl said of the Tide, who won the SEC’s regular-season and tournament titles. “Nate Oats is one of the best coaches in the country. Done an amazing job with this team. They are talented, they are deep, and they play the right way.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.