It was a tough day for the Auburn Tigers. It may have been tougher for Charles Barkley.

The former Auburn star and March Madness analyst made it clear leading up to the Tigers’ upset loss to Yale on Friday night he was quite confident with his team’s first-round draw.

The Round Mound of Rebound has predicted a Sweet 16 for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers.

“We going to play UConn,” he said earlier this week. “We’re going to beat Yale. We’re always going to beat the smart kids. Then, we’re probably going to beat San Diego State.”

Yale had other ideas.

John Poulakidas scored 28 points, Samson Aletan made a key block during a wild scramble in the final seconds, and 13th-seeded Yale beat No. 4 seed Auburn 78-76 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“I have to give Yale credit,” Barkley said after the game. “They came back.”

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The Ivy League school rallied from 10 points down with seven to play. In fact, the Bulldogs trailed by six points with four to play.

“(Auburn) had plenty of chances,” Barkley said. “They did not play well, but Yale played better. They deserve to win the game.

“My Tigers, this kind of ruins a really good season, winning the SEC Tournament then to lose in the first round. Very disappointing and frustrating.

“Shoutout to Yale, the Bulldogs. I never thought a Bulldog would beat a Tiger, but they did. Congratulations to Yale.”

The Bulldogs (23-9) won an NCAA Tournament game for just the second time in school history. Yale will face No. 5 seed San Diego State in the second round on Sunday.

Johni Broome led Auburn (27-8) with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

Barkley didn’t help his case at halftime, leaning back with a cigar in his mouth explaining how he was feeling good about Auburn’s chances with a 7-point lead at halftime.

After the game, fans on social media didn’t let the chance pass to poke fun at the Alabama native.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.