Auburn icon Charles Barkley bids adieu to Crimson Tide with heartfelt statement: "Nate Oats and his kids made the University of Alabama proud"

The No. 4 seeded Alabama Crimson Tide was edged out of the Final Four clash against the No. 1 seeded UConn Huskies in an 86-72 clash. The Huskies will now play against the Purdue Boilermakers to win the men's national championship title.

After the defeat of the Nate Oats' led squad, NBA and Auburn icon Charles Barkley delivered a heartwarming statement to the head coach and the team.

"Nate Oats and his kids, man and I'm going to say it right Earnie, made the University of Alabama proud," said Charles Barkley as per CBS Sports.

"It was awesome, they had a great season, and obviously we are going to celebrate UConn [but] as an Auburn guy, this is painful, but I got to tip my hat off to Nate Oats and his entire coaching staff and team. They were awesome.:

The Alabama Crimson Tide's season was historic on multiple fronts. Along with reaching their first-ever Final Four, Oats' team boasted the nation's top-scoring offense and achieved the SEC record for the most 100-point games in a season with 10, among other notable accomplishments.

In the Final Four clash, Alabama started the second half with a 7-4 run to cut the deficit to one point; however, the Huskies continued their tendency to never trail in the second half and answered with a 7-0 run.

Charles Barkley made yet another complimentary statement for the Crimson Tide

During halftime, as Alabama trailed by four points (44-40), Barkley engaged in a light-hearted conversation with his co-panelists, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, Clark Kellogg, and Jay Wright.

He jokingly said that if the Crimson Tide managed to secure a win, the concession stands at State Farm and nearby bars might run out of beer for fans.

"If Alabama wins, I don't know if we've got enough Natty Light and Pabst Blue Ribbon to feed these people out here," Barkley joked.

Charles Barkley had been appreciative of the Alabama Crimson Tide throughout the entire March Madness as they managed to come as far as the Final Four for the first time. Despite losing against UConn, Nate Oats' squad will find motivation and come back strong in the next season.

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