Tyrese Haliburton takes strong March Madness bracket stance ahead of tournament

Before March Madness begins with the first round Thursday afternoon, millions of people are scrambling to put together what they believe will be the perfect bracket for the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments.

Some will fill out one, but others will try their luck with multiple brackets, mixing and matching their teams to produce what they think is the best possible chance of winning it all.

An NBA All-Star thinks those with multiple brackets are doing it the wrong way.

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Former Iowa State guard and Olympic gold medalist Tyrese Haliburton, who plays for the Indiana Pacers, was honored during a halftime ceremony March 1, 2025 at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. (David K. Purdy/Getty Images)

Tyrese Haliburton turned heads among college basketball fans when he posted on X: “Make a stand and stand on it.” As people chimed in in the comments section, Fox News Digital asked the Indiana Pacers guard why he’s so convinced a bracket is the way to go this time of year.

“I think it’s so lame that people are like, ‘Oh, I made so many parentheses.’ Like, gee, how many racks do you have? » Haliburton said, highlighting its partnership with Reese’s and its March Madness Bracket Busting campaign. “That’s not how it works. It’s because they can’t make up their minds.

“As a society, that’s not how the cookie crumbles. You have to make a choice and stick with it, and that’s how it happens.”

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Haliburton examined the debate in his comments, and he may accept some positions when building supports this week.

“I’ve seen people respond to my tweet with positions that make sense, like, ‘I’m doing a bracket that picks my alma mater to win even though it’s not realistic. And then I’m doing one that makes sense.’ I said, OK, I understand, I guess,” he admitted.

“But, at the same time, every year, if you don’t believe your alma mater is going to win, don’t pick them. Now, I picked my alma mater to win the national championship.”

Haliburton is the eighth Cyclone to win an Olympic gold medal and the first in men’s basketball. He was honored during halftime of a game between Iowa State and Arizona at Hilton Coliseum on March 1, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. (David Purdy/Getty Images)

Haliburton’s choice of Iowa State makes sense in this case of choosing an alma mater. The Cyclones went 27-7 this year and earned second place in the Midwest Region out of the 64-team field.

“We are one [No.] 2 seeds – it can happen. It’s possible. But I think other people who are afraid to make that decision are up to them. They have to live with it,” he added.

The Cyclones will face No. 15 Tennessee State to begin the tournament, and while Haliburton doesn’t take any team lightly, he’s confident his Iowa State squad has been “battle tested” enough to handle the March Madness field.

“I didn’t blink when I made that decision,” he said of choosing Iowa State to win it all. “I knew I was going to make this decision going into it. But I think it’s easy for me to make this decision because we’re battle-tested.

“We play in the best conference in basketball, which is the Big XIII. It’s not even close. Arizona, the team that ran the entire conference, didn’t really have a problem with anyone, needed a Hail Mary fade to beat us.

“When it comes to playing on neutral courts, we’ve been incredible, if not the best team in college basketball this year. So, I’m sticking with that. I’m confident in that.”

Confidence is key for Haliburton this time of year, which is why he is adamant in his stance on playing just one bracket out of millions.

Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers leaves the court after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on February 6, 2026 in Milwaukee. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

EACH BUST SUPPORT FOR REESE

What Haliburton is also confident about is his love for Reese’s Cups, which makes his partnership with the beloved chocolate and peanut butter candies perfect for March Madness.

There has never been a perfect medium. It’s inevitable that whether you do one or 100, the supports will burst.

Reese’s is urging college basketball fans to share their broken brackets on social media, by following @Reeses and using the hashtag #ForAReesesSweeps on Instagram, X or TikTok for a chance to win not only free Reese’s Cups, but also a chance to attend the men’s or women’s Final Four and championship games.

“Two of my favorite things coming together. It’s something I’m very passionate about,” Haliburton said. “Obviously, everyone’s bracket is going to collapse. So if it’s going to collapse, you might as well gain something from it.

“The fact that you can go on social media, tag Reese, put the hashtag in, post your bracket and have a chance to go to the Final Four – I think that’s pretty special. It’s really cool and it’s something that I’m excited to be a part of.”

Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers during a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on January 8, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

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Haliburton also participated in a fun Bracket Summit, where he, New York Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart and college basketball analysts Richard Jefferson and Andraya Carter constructed and shared their men’s and women’s tournament picks with the world.

Although his brackets may blow out, Haliburton just hopes Iowa State comes out on top in the end.

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