Tyrese Haliburton trolls Kentucky NBA alums after Iowa State win
Kentucky’s loss in the second round of the men’s NCAA tournament on Sunday against Iowa State prompted a little message from a former Cyclones: Tyrese Haliburton.
Iowa State routed Kentucky 82-63 behind 26 points from Tamin Lipsey and 20 from Milan Momcilovic. Lipsey had 10 assists and five steals, becoming the third player with 25 points, 10 assists and five steals in a March Madness game since 1986, according to ESPN Research. Kentucky’s 19-point loss marked the largest in an NCAA tournament game since an Elite Eight loss to Florida State in 1972.
Moments after the Cyclones’ victory, Haliburton made sure to poke fun at Wildcat alumni, some of whom made headlines for their support of Arkansas. He posted on X that he went to text some Kentucky players before realizing it.
I went to text the guys who played at Kentucky about this game and forgot they think they are Arkansas alums now🤣
– Tyrese Haliburton (@Hali) March 22, 2026
Haliburton was referring to former Wildcats coach John Calipari leaving for Arkansas in April 2024. He joked that since Calipari’s move, former Kentucky stars who now play in the NBA consider themselves Arkansas alumni, probably because they played for Calipari.
The Oklahoma City Thunder recently released a video asking their players who they thought would win the tournament. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who played for Calipari in 2017-18, said “either Arkansas or Kentucky.” Cason Wallace spent one season at Kentucky in 2022-23 and declared for Arkansas.
“Coach Cal?” the Thunder administrator asked Wallace, who simply replied, “Yeah.”
Other players have done the same since Calipari made the switch. Former Wildcats PJ Washington visited Calipari in Arkansas in Razorbacks gear in September 2024. Months later, fellow Wildcats Reed Sheppard wore an Arkansas shirt with Kentucky pants when the two programs faced off.
Haliburton seemed to be aware of the trend and did not give passes to former Kentucky players. The Indiana Pacers star spent two seasons at Iowa State before entering the draft in 2020. He lost in the first round of his only March Madness appearance in 2019, but relished his alma mater by beating the Wildcats.
