Kentucky’s elimination from the men’s NCAA tournament in the second round on Sunday, courtesy of Iowa State, triggered a somewhat sarcastic social media update from a former Cyclones player, Tyrese Haliburton.
Iowa State decisively defeated Kentucky with a score of 82-63, fueled by Tamin Lipsey’s 26 points and Milan Momcilovic’s 20. Lipsey also tallied 10 assists and five steals, making him only the third player to achieve 25 points, 10 assists, and five steals in a March Madness contest since 1986, as reported by ESPN Research. Kentucky’s 19-point deficit represented its most substantial loss in an NCAA tournament match since an Elite Eight elimination by Florida State in 1972.
Shortly following the Cyclones’ triumph, Haliburton deliberately teased former Wildcats players, several of whom had gained attention for endorsing Arkansas. He shared on X that he intended to message athletes from Kentucky before reaching a sudden understanding.
Went to text the guys who played at Kentucky about this game and forgot they think they Arkansas alum now🤣
— Tyrese Haliburton (@Hali) March 22, 2026
Haliburton was alluding to the departure of former Wildcats coach John Calipari to Arkansas in April 2024. He quipped that following Calipari’s transition, previous Kentucky standouts who now compete in the NBA regard themselves as Arkansas alumni, likely because they played under Calipari.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lately uploaded footage inquiring of their athletes about their prediction for the tournament champion. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was coached by Calipari in 2017-18, stated “either Arkansas or Kentucky.” Cason Wallace, who completed one year with Kentucky in 2022-23, responded with Arkansas.
“Coach Cal?” the Thunder administrator queried Wallace, who merely answered: “Yeah.”
Other players have followed suit since Calipari changed teams. Wildcats alumnus P.J. Washington paid a visit to Calipari at Arkansas, clad in Razorbacks attire, in September 2024. Several months subsequent to that, another former player, Reed Sheppard, sported an Arkansas shirt with Kentucky pants when the two programs competed.
Haliburton appeared cognizant of this pattern and did not excuse the former Kentucky players. The Indiana Pacers star completed a two-year tenure with Iowa State before entering the draft in 2020. He was defeated in the opening round of his solitary March Madness appearance in 2019, but savored his alma mater overpowering the Wildcats.