Charles Barkley is selective when he goes back to his alma mater for games.

Whether it's football or basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member doesn't like to watch Auburn lose. The former NBA star said Auburn is a great place to be when the Tigers win, but the campus is like a funeral when it loses. For that reason alone, he attends only sure-fire victories.

Which game did the TNT studio basketball analyst pick to attend during last year's football season? Tennessee.

"I penciled in Tennessee on my schedule because I was like, 'Tennessee's lost 20-something SEC games in a row," so I decided to take some of my boys with me and I told them that we were going to have a good weekend," Barkley said during an appearance Tuesday night at the 32nd annual Stake and Burger event benefiting Boys and Girls Clubs of Rutherford County at Middle Tennessee State.

The Vols upset the Tigers 30-24 behind a 328-yard, two touchdown performance from quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. It was the Vols' first win over Auburn since 1999 and ended a six-game losing streak to the Tigers.

Photo gallery: UT Vols vs. Auburn action photos through the years

While the Tigers beat Tennessee twice in basketball, including in the SEC Tournament title game, that Saturday afternoon in October is one that Barkley would like wiped from his memory.

"Midway through the game, one of (my) friends turns to me and goes, 'Y'all are really going to lose to Tennessee?' And I told him no because Auburn isn't that bad," Barkley said. "Then they went on to beat us and all I could say was, 'Damn!' I could not believe that we had lost to Tennessee.”

Reach Joe Spears at jspears2@gannett.com or 731-343-4923. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @joe_spears7.