March Madness got a little literal for Charles Barkley when he became the subject of some ‘mind games.’ CBS brought back Oz Pearlman, aka Oz the Mentalist, to once again bamboozle cynic incarnate Sir Charles and his bracket. The Emmy-winning entertainer has become a divisive figure in sports media, but fans seem to think Chuck has uncovered Pearlman’s little trick.

At their annual reunion, Pearlman’s uncanny ability to “read minds” left the unfiltered Chuck visibly rattled, shouting in disbelief. He tasked the panel with picking random players and teams from the massive 64-team bracket. After accurately guessing Clark Kellogg and Nate Burleson’s picks, it was Chuck’s turn.

“And I will tell you, I was mad!” Barkley told his fellow panelists. “He gave me a deck of cards [earlier], and of all of the cards I pulled out, Cameron Boozer. I was mad!” His frustration was understandable — Pearlman had gotten inside his head, and Chuck hadn’t even realized how much he’d given away.

Despite Barkley’s attempts to stump the mentalist with some fumbling, Perlman successfully narrowed down Barkley’s internal debate to a specific Duke University standout. “I think you were thinking, Duke was the team you looked at…”

Combining the initials “B.O.” on Kellogg’s board, his own name “Oz” and Burleson’s pick, “E.R.” e formed the word, ‘Boozer’ for… “Cameron Boozer. This is who I have. Am I right?” Perlman asked. Sure enough, Chuckster had ‘Cameron Boozer’ on his board.

Kellogg and Burleson maintained they weren’t ‘in’ on it. The interaction went viral almost immediately, with fans marveling at Barkley’s genuine frustration over being found out by a magician.

While the on-air ‘sorcery’ provided a moment of levity, the real magic Barkley needed was for his tournament bracket, which, in keeping with the ‘Chuck Curse,’ was already taking a beating.

However, in his genuine frustration, Barkley inadvertently revealed a key component of the mentalist’s method, a slip-up that didn’t go unnoticed by viewers.

Charles Barkley’s shock exposed the Mentalist

Charles Barkley, Nate Burleson, Clark Kellogg, and Renee Montgomery were so stunned by Oz the Mentalist that they didn’t realize what Chuck just did. But the Internet did. He revealed what happened behind the scenes of this trick with the “deck of cards.”

So Chuck picked out Cameron Boozer, which meant that Oz was aware that Barkley was going to choose the Duke upstart and son of NBA star Carlos Boozer. It still doesn’t explain how Kellogg and Burleson picked completely coincidental initials to complete the famous last name, but fans find it sus that Pearlman had the crew pick cards beforehand.

While fans were busy dissecting Pearlman’s trickery, the actual basketball on the court was busy destroying Charles Barkley’s predictions. Entering the weekend, Barkley had been vocal about his support for several heavy hitters, but as is tradition with the “Chuck Curse,” many of his picks fell victim to early-round upsets.

The mention of Cameron Boozer was particularly timely. Chuck admitted he was internally debating the Blue Devils’ chances. But even he couldn’t not think about scouts’ and analysts’ favorite, Cameron Boozer. Duke just beat TCU to advance from the second round and are poised to make a deeper run in the NCAA tournament.

As the tournament moves into the Sweet 16, Barkley may need more than mentalism to save his bracket. He’ll need the very players Perlman “saw” in his mind to actually deliver on the hardwood.