NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Before March Madness goes public with the first round on Thursday afternoon, millions are scrambling to put together what they believe is the perfect bracket for the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments.
Some will fill out one, but others will try their luck in multiple brackets, mixing and matching their teams to ultimately produce what they believe is the best chance to win it all.
One NBA All-Star believes that those with a bunch of brackets under their belt are doing things completely wrong.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ONE OF THE GAMES ON FOXNEWS.COM
Former Iowa State guard and Olympic gold medalist Tyrese Haliburton, who plays for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, was honored during a halftime ceremony on March 1, 2025, at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. He is the eighth Cyclone to win an Olympic gold medal and the first in men’s basketball. (David K Purdy/Getty Images)
Tyrese Haliburton turned heads in the college basketball fan community when he wrote on X, “Make one bracket and stand in it.” As the talk played out in the comments section, Fox News Digital asked the Indiana Pacers guard why he feels so strongly that the single bracket is the way to go this season.
“I think it’s so lame that people say, ‘Oh, I made this many brackets.’ Like, dang, how many brackets do you get?” Haliburton said while highlighting his partnership with Reese’s and its March Madness Bracket Busting Campaign. “It doesn’t work like that, because they can’t decide.
“As a community, it’s not a cookie-cutter way. You have to pick one and stick to it, and that’s how it happens.”
COLLEGE BASKETBALL ANALYST JAY BILAS HAS ZERO CONCERNS ABOUT MARCH MADNESS: ‘IT NEVER GETS BETTER’
Haliburton has weighed in on the debate within his commentary, and there’s a stance he can take when building his brackets this week.
“I’ve seen people respond to my tweet with logical scenarios, ie, ‘I make one bracket that picks my alma mater to win, even though it’s absurd. Then I make one that makes sense.’ I said, okay, I guess,” he admitted. “But at the same time, every year, if you don’t believe your alma mater will win – don’t vote.
“Now, I, I chose my teaching assistant to win the national championship.”
Haliburton is the eighth Hurricane to win an Olympic gold medal and first in men’s basketball, honored during halftime of the NCAA college basketball game between Iowa State and Arizona in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on March 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. (David Purdy/Getty Images)
Haliburton’s choice of Iowa State makes sense in this scenario of choosing an alma mater. The Cyclones went 27-7 this year and earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region’s 64-team bracket.
“We are a [No.] 2 seeds — possible. It is possible. But I think some people are afraid to make that decision, that’s up to them. They need to live with it,” he added.
The Cyclones will take the No. 15 Tennessee State to start its tournament, and while Haliburton isn’t taking one team lightly, he’s confident his Iowa State team is “battle-tested” enough to rule the March Madness court.
“I didn’t blink when I made that decision,” he said of picking Iowa State to win it all. “I knew I was going to make that decision going into it. But I think it’s easy for me to make that decision because we’ve been battle-tested. We play in the best conference in basketball, which is the Big XIII. It’s not even close. Arizona, a team that ran all over the conference, didn’t have a problem with anybody, they needed a Hail Mary to beat us.
“When it comes to playing on neutral floors, we’ve been incredible, if not the best team in college basketball this year. So, I stand by that. I’m confident in that.”
Confidence is key for Haliburton at this time of the year, which is why he stands to play one bracket in the millionaires field.
Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton leaves the court after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Feb. 6, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
EVERY BRACKET IS BUTCHER OKWAREESE
Something Haliburton is sure of is his love for Reese’s Lips, which makes his partnership with the peanut butter-chocolate candy perfect for March Madness.
As mentioned before, there is never a perfect bracket. It is inevitable that, whether you do one or 100, the brackets will explode.
But it may not be in vain, as Reese urges college basketball fans to share their broken brackets on social media, follow @Reeses and use the hashtag #ForAReesesSweeps on Instagram, X, or TikTok for a chance to win not only free Reese Trophies, but also a chance to attend the Men’s or Women’s Finals.
“My two favorite things are coming together. It’s something I’m really excited about,” Haliburton said. “Obviously, everybody’s bracket is going to blow up. So, if it’s going to blow up, it might as well win something out of it. The fact that you can go on social media, tag Reese, put in a hashtag, post your bracket and have a chance to go to the Final Four — I think that’s pretty special. It’s a really cool thing and I’m a part of being a part of it.”
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers looks on during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on Jan. 8, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Haliburton was also part of the exciting Bracket Summit, where she, New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart and college basketball analysts Richard Jefferson and Andraya Carter created and shared their picks for the men’s and women’s world championships.
While his bracket may blow up, Haliburton simply hopes Iowa State ends up on top in the end.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and register at the Fox News Sports Huddle.
