Charles Barkley just shared a big take on the Big Dance.
Although March Madness is still several weeks away, the NBA legend already appears to have an idea of which team will be the last one standing in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
During Wednesday’s edition of “Inside the NBA,” the 62-year-old Barkley made an endorsement of the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats.
“I’ve been watching these games very closely because it’s starting to get serious,” Barkley said. “I’ve been watching more college basketball, and as I call March Madness, it’s the ‘Arizona Invitational’ just for the record. That’s what March Madness is going to be. It’s gonna be the ‘Arizona Invitational.’”
Barkley made that claim after Arizona maintained its undefeated record with a thrilling 86-83 win against the No. 13 BYU Cougars on Monday at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. The Wildcats were put to the test by AJ Dybantsa and the Cougars and came away with yet another Quadrant 1 victory.
There are reasons why March Madness is arguably the most exciting playoffs in sports, and its extreme unpredictability is part of its charm. As strong as Arizona has looked thus far in the 2025-26 college basketball season, it will still be vulnerable to the chaos of the national tournament.
Still, it doesn’t appear that Barkley is going to change his mind on Arizona soon. Unless, of course, the Wildcats drop in form in the final stretches of the season.
The 21-0 Wildcats, who are ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press Poll and KenPom, will look to keep it going on Saturday against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
