Tyrese Haliburton was ready with the smoke after his alma mater Iowa State took down Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
Haliburton’s Cyclones swept past the Wildcats on Sunday to get past the second round of March Madness in an 82-63 drubbing at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo. Iowa State outscored Kentucky 51-33 in the second half to leave them Big Blue in the dust.
The Indiana Pacers star was feeling pretty good after watching his alma mater dismantle one of college basketball’s blue bloods. He used the opportunity to talk trash to some of his Wildcat peers, but had a hilarious realization: many of them had switched allegiances.
“Went to text the guys who played at Kentucky about this game and forgot they think they Arkansas alum now,” Haliburton posted on X with a laughing emoji.
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 is, of course, referring to Kentucky no longer being coached by John Calipari, whose Arkansas Razorbacks did make it to the Sweet 16 with a gritty win over Cinderella-that-never-was High Point.
Several Kentucky alumni over the past decade have become bona fide stars in the NBA, but many of them were recruited and coached by Calipari. Coach Cal’s exit from Kentucky wasn’t just a head coaching swap — it was a changing of the guard for a program long ruled by Calipari, for better or worse.
After Calipari’s unceremonious departure from Lexington in 2024, his relationship with Kentucky and its fans has been muddied at best. It’s fair to wonder where some former Wildcats’ loyalties lie: Kentucky or Calipari.
