Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, a former Iowa State Cyclones player and member of the United States team that won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, posted on X ahead of the 2024 NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments: "Make one bracket and stand on it."[1]
In an interview with Fox News Digital on March 19, 2024, Haliburton described filling out multiple brackets as "lame," arguing that fans should commit to one choice rather than hedging with several.[1] He acknowledged some logic in creating one optimistic bracket for an alma mater and another realistic one, but emphasized believing in Iowa State to win the national championship.[1]
Iowa State, Haliburton's alma mater, finished the 2023-24 regular season and conference tournaments with a 27-7 record and earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the 68-team men's field.[2][3] The Big 12 Conference champions faced No. 15 seed South Dakota State in the first round on March 21, 2024, at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
Haliburton cited Iowa State's performance in the Big 12 -- which he called the best conference in college basketball -- and success on neutral-site floors as reasons for his confidence.[1] He is the first Iowa State men's basketball player to win an Olympic gold medal and the eighth Cyclone overall to do so.[4]
Haliburton partnered with Reese's for its Bracket Busting Campaign, encouraging fans to share busted brackets on social media using #ForAReesesSweeps for chances to win Reese's products and tickets to the men's or women's Final Four and championship games.[1]
He also joined New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart, former NBA player Richard Jefferson and ESPN analyst Andraya Carter for a Bracket Summit to share tournament predictions.[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has simple March Madness message for fans filling out multiple brackets: 'Lame'", March 19, 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/pacers-star-tyrese-haliburton-has-simple-march-madness-message-filling-out-multiple-brackets-lame
- NCAA.com, "2024 NCAA printable bracket - Men's", March 17, 2024, https://www.ncaa.com/bracket/mens-college-basketball
- Cyclones.com (Iowa State University Athletics), "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule", accessed October 2024, https://cyclones.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2023-24
- Cyclones.com (Iowa State University Athletics), "Tyrese Haliburton Becomes First Cyclone Men's Basketball Player to Win Olympic Gold", August 2024, https://cyclones.com/news/2024/8/11/general-tyrese-haliburton-becomes-first-cyclone-mens-basketball-player-to-win-olympic-gold.aspx
