Tyrese Haliburton, an Iowa State alum, posted a dig at Kentucky alums following Iowa State’s victory over Kentucky. Iowa State defeated Kentucky 82-63 in the NCAA tournament.
Haliburton’s Social Media Jibe
Haliburton posted on X that he considered texting players from Kentucky about the game. He then realised that they now consider themselves Arkansas alums.
Went to text the guys who played at Kentucky about this game and forgot they think they Arkansas alum now🤣
Haliburton’s comments reference John Calipari’s move to Arkansas in April 2024. He joked that former Kentucky stars in the NBA now see themselves as Arkansas alums because they played for Calipari.
Kentucky Alums’ Allegiance to Arkansas
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who played for Calipari in 2017-18, picked either Arkansas or Kentucky to win the tournament. Cason Wallace, who played at Kentucky in 2022-23, also said Arkansas when asked.
When the Thunder admin asked Wallace about ‘Coach Cal?’, Wallace simply replied: “Yeah.”
P.J. Washington, another Wildcats alum, visited Calipari at Arkansas in Razorbacks gear back in September 2024. Reed Sheppard wore an Arkansas shirt with Kentucky pants when the two programmes faced off months later.
Iowa State’s Victory Over Kentucky
- Iowa State routed Kentucky 82-63.
- Tamin Lipsey scored 26 points for Iowa State.
- Milan Momcilovic added 20 points.
Lipsey also had 10 assists and five steals. According to ESPN Research, he is the third player since 1986 to record 25 points, 10 assists, and five steals in a March Madness game.
Kentucky’s 19-point defeat marked their largest in an NCAA tournament game since 1972.
Haliburton played two seasons at Iowa State before declaring for the 2020 draft. In 2019, he lost in the first round of his lone March Madness appearance. He clearly enjoyed seeing his alma mater defeat the Wildcats.