Charles Barkley: Tre Donaldson 'wants Auburn' in NCAA Tournament

For two seasons, Tre Donaldson suited up for Bruce Pearl at Auburn. But after the 2023-24 campaign, he entered the transfer portal and committed to Michigan, where he’s become a key contributor for Dusty May’s rebuilt group.

But when the NCAA Tournament bracket came out, there was a path to playing his former team. In fact, Donaldson told Charles Barkley he “wants Auburn.”

Michigan and Auburn could meet in the Sweet Sixteen of the South Region. Even though two games have to take place before that point, Donaldson saw who the No. 1 seed was in that group and made his mindset abundantly clear to Barkley.

“I hate that we lost him at Auburn, but man, he’s done a fabulous job,” Barkley said at halftime of Thursday’s St. John’s vs. Nebraska Omaha game. “Let me tell you something. He wants to win, because he wants Auburn. I talked to him the other day, he says, ‘You know, we play Auburn?’ I said, ‘Trust me. I already know.’ He says, ‘I want that Auburn team.’ So I’m excited for him.”

Donaldson appeared in 35 games at Auburn a season ago, including 10 starts. He averaged 6.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists before entering the portal and committing to Michigan. One of the many transfer additions for the Wolverines, he’s fitting in well.

Donaldson helped fuel Michigan’s run to a Big Ten tournament title in May’s first year as head coach. Entering the NCAA Tournament, he’s averaging 11.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists as the Wolverines came in as a No. 5 seed in the tournament field.

When it comes to his previous NCAA Tournament experience with Auburn, though, Tre Donaldson echoed a similar sentiment to his fellow transfers into Michigan. He’s keeping his eye on the ball and not focusing much on the past. The goal, he said, is to put the Wolverines in position to win a championship.

“Not just trying to focus on too much outside of our locker room, just controlling what we can control, and that’s our energy and effort,” Donaldson said in a Wednesday press conference. “And if we can bring that every night we’re going to give ourselves a chance. So I think that’s the biggest thing, focusing on us and Michigan basketball.”

A victory over UC San Diego would send Michigan to a second-round matchup against Texas A&M. From there, Auburn could await if the Tigers take down Creighton on Saturday.