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NCAA Final Four 2019: Start time, how to watch and stream Auburn-Virginia, Texas Tech-Michigan State

“Think about it, Auburn is in the Final Four. I can’t believe it!” Barkley said on SiriusXM on Friday

Expect Charles Barkley's studio desk to be decked out in Auburn orange and blue when the Tigers take on No. 1 Virginia during tonight's Final Four.
Expect Charles Barkley's studio desk to be decked out in Auburn orange and blue when the Tigers take on No. 1 Virginia during tonight's Final Four.Read moreTwitter/@AUGoldMine / Twitter / augoldmine

No one expects Charles Barkley to be objective Saturday.

Barkley, the TNT basketball analyst and former Sixers great, will be among the studio analysts on CBS weighing in on this year’s Final Four match-ups: No. 5 Auburn vs. No. 1 Virginia, and No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 2 Michigan State.

Despite not choosing his alma mater to advance past the Sweet 16, Barkley cried tears of joy after the Tigers defeated Kentucky, 77-71, in overtime to advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history. His reaction when Auburn upset No. 1 North Carolina in the regional semifinals was even better.

Barkley also hasn’t held back his praise of Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who was hired in 2014 to replace Tony Barbee. After missing the NCAA tournament during his first three seasons, Pearl has led the Tigers to two-straight appearances, including this year’s historic run. But Pearl also has a history of running afoul of NCAA rules, and two of his assistants at Auburn were ensnared by the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball. USA Today columnist Nancy Armour wrote last month that Pearl symbolizes the rot in college athletics.

“Some of these personalities on TV and on radio have [given] their personal opinions about Bruce, and I think it’s been really unfair. He’s acknowledged his mistakes, and they happened a long time ago,” Barkley told Danny Kanell on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio on Friday. “By the time he’s finished, he’s going to be the greatest coach in Auburn basketball history.”

Barkley also won a bet on the Tigers with Late Show host Stephen Colbert, meaning the comedian was forced to wear a “tie of shame” during his show on Monday.

“My big mistake here was betting on a sport I know nothing about, also known as a sport,” Colbert joked.

“Charles is a fan first in everything he does. He calls it like he sees it and like he feels it, and that is what we love about Charles,” Turner Sports president Lenny Daniel said in a conference call with reporters earlier this week. “He has a huge following, a lot of people who respect him, and it’s all good for the tournament.”

NCAA Men’s Final Four

Auburn (No. 5) vs. Virginia (No. 1)

When: Saturday, April 6

Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis

Time: 6:09 p.m. tipoff

TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery, Tracy Wolfson)

Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One (Kevin Kugler, Clark Kellogg, John Thompson, Jim Gray)

Streaming: CBS All Access (requires subscription), NCAA March Madness Live (requires authentication), Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Playstation Vue, DirectTV Now, Fubo TV (all require a subscription).

Texas Tech (No. 3) vs. Michigan State (No. 2)

When: Saturday, April 6

Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis

Time: 8:49 p.m. tipoff (or 40 minutes after end of first game)

TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery, Tracy Wolfson)

Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One (Kevin Kugler, Clark Kellogg, John Thompson, Jim Gray)

Streaming: CBS All Access (requires subscription), NCAA March Madness Live (requires authentication), Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Playstation Vue, DirectTV Now, Fubo TV (all require a subscription).

Media coverage

Staff writer Joe Juliano is in Minneapolis, and will be covering all the action live on Twitter. Notes and observations about the game will be at philly.com/college-sports.

CBS’ coverage begins at 3 pm. with At the Final Four, hosted by Greg Gumbel and featuring Villanova head coach Jay Wright and former college basketball stars Candace Parker and Wally Szczerbiak. The Final Four Show airs from 4 to 6 p.m., hosted by Ernie Johnson with analysts Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg, and Kenny Smith.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class Announcement will air on ESPN at noon, revealing the 2019 Hall of Fame class. The show will be hosted by Rece Davis and Jay Bilas.

College GameDay Covered will air at 2 p.m., featuring Davis and analysts Bilas, Seth Greenberg, and Jay Williams. Dan Dakich, Sean Farnham, and Dick Vitale will also join the broadcast.

» READ MORE: Sports betting: Vegas Vic picks the Final Four winners