Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton urges single bracket for NCAA March Madness
Ahead of the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments on Thursday, March 21, millions of fans are completing brackets for the 68-team fields.
Tyrese Haliburton, point guard for the Indiana Pacers and Iowa State alumnus from the 2019-20 season, posted on X: "Make one bracket and stand on it."[1]
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Haliburton said multiple brackets undermine commitment: "I think it’s just so lame that people are like, ‘Oh, I made this many brackets.’ Like, dang, how many brackets do you get? That’s not how it works."[1] He partnered with Reese's on its Bracket Busting Campaign.
Haliburton selected his alma mater Iowa State to win the men's national championship, despite long odds. He accepts separate "unrealistic alma mater" and "logical" brackets in some cases but stands by one overall.[1]
Iowa State finished 27-10 overall and 13-5 in the Big 12 Conference, earning a No. 2 seed in the East Region.[2][3] The Cyclones faced No. 15 seed South Dakota State in the first round at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
Haliburton, a gold medalist with the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics,[4] was honored at halftime of an Iowa State home game.[1] He called the Cyclones "battle-tested" from Big 12 play and neutral-site success.[1]
Reese's invites fans to share busted brackets on social media via @Reeses and #ForAReesesSweeps on Instagram, X or TikTok for chances to win Reese's products and Final Four tickets.[1]
Haliburton joined New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart, and analysts Richard Jefferson and Andraya Carter for a Bracket Summit sharing men's and women's picks.[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "Tyrese Haliburton has message for bracket makers ahead of March Madness: 'Make 1 bracket and stand on it'", March 20, 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/tyrese-haliburton-message-bracket-makers-ahead-march-madness-make-1-stand-it
- NCAA, "2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball bracket", March 17, 2024, https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/basketball-men/d1/2024
- Iowa State University Athletics, "2023-24 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics", April 2024, https://cyclones.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24
- Olympics.com, "United States Men's Basketball Roster - Paris 2024", July 28, 2024, https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/sports/basketball/usa/events
