For the majority of the Alabama men’s basketball season, the Crimson Tide’s pregame video featured a specific moment to hype the crowd. When the lights dimmed and the speakers were tuned louder, eyes would go to the video board. Then, Auburn legend Charles Barkley would call Alabama the best team in the country.

UA staffers had clipped a snippet of a January radio interview in which Barkley discussed the Tide and spliced it between Brandon Miller dunks and other highlight plays. On Wednesday, Barkley was asked about his cameo.

“Well, clearly I was wrong,” Barkley joked before his appearance in the Regions Tradition celebrity pro-am in Hoover. “When I made that statement, most people picked them to win the tournament. Listen, like I said, in a one-game scenario, anything can happen. I didn’t know they were gonna use that in a video, but, hey, part of my job is people, whenever I say stuff, they can use it anywhere they want to. I was surprised they didn’t get farther.”

Coach Nate Oats led the Crimson Tide to its first No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history. Powered by one of the most-heralded freshman classes in recent memory, Alabama posted a 31-6 record and 16-2 in the conference. It won both the regular-season SEC title and the postseason tournament before losing to San Diego State in the Sweet 16.

Barkley’s prior interview on “The Next Round” came after Alabama beat Houston and seemed poise for a deep tournament run. Across the board, it was a banner year for basketball in the state. The Tide and Auburn took over Birmingham for its first-round matchups, both of which Oats and Auburn coach Bruce Pearl won. Barkley admitted that crowning the Tide as the favorites was “painful for (him) to say.

“Coach Oats has done a fabulous job,” Barkley said. “I was surprised they didn’t do better. I picked them to win the whole thing. … Alabama should’ve did better but hey, it happens in a one-game scenario. But it’s great to have great basketball here.”

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].