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Before March Madness tips off with the first round 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 with multiple brackets, mixing and matching their teams to produce what they believe is the best possible chance to win it all.
One NBA All-Star believes those with multiple brackets are doing it the wrong way.
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Former Iowa State guard and Olympic gold medalist Tyrese Haliburton, who plays for the Indiana Pacers, was honored with a halftime ceremony March 1, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. (David K Purdy/Getty Images)
Tyrese Haliburton turned some heads among college basketball fans when he posted on X, “Make one bracket and stand on it.” As people weighed in in the comment section, Fox News Digital asked the Indiana Pacers guard why he feels so strongly that one bracket is the way to go this time of year.
“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?” Haliburton said, highlighting his partnership with Reese’s and its March Madness Bracket Busting Campaign. “That’s not how it works. It’s because they can’t make up their mind.
“As a society, this is not how the cookie crumbles. You have to make one choice and stand on it, and that’s how it goes.”
Haliburton has looked at the debate within his comments, and there are some stances he can accept when building brackets this week.
“I’ve seen people replying to my tweet with stances that make sense, which are, ‘I make one bracket that picks my alma mater to win even though it’s unrealistic. And then I make one that is logical.’ I said, OK, that I get, I guess,” he admitted.
“But, at the same time, every year, if you don’t believe your alma mater is going to win — don’t pick them. Now, me, I picked my alma mater to win the national championship.”
Haliburton is the eighth Cyclone to win a gold medal at the Olympics and the first in men’s basketball. He was honored at halftime of an game between Iowa State and Arizona at Hilton Coliseum March 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. (David Purdy/Getty Images)
Haliburton’s choice of Iowa State makes sense in this case of choosing an alma mater. The Cyclones went 27-7 this year and earned a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the 64-team bracket.
“We’re a [No.] 2 seed — it can happen. It’s possible. But I think that other people who are scared to make that decision, that’s on them. They need to live with it,” he added.
The Cyclones will take on No. 15 Tennessee State to begin the tournament, and while Haliburton is not taking a single team lightly, he’s confident his Iowa State squad has been “battle tested” enough to handle the March Madness field.
“I didn’t blink when I made that decision,” he said about choosing Iowa State to win it all. “I knew I was going to make that decision going into it. But I think that it’s easy for me to make that decision because we are battle-tested.
“We play in the best conference in basketball, which is the Big XIII. It’s not even close. Arizona, the team who ran through the whole conference, didn’t really have a problem with anybody, needed a Hail Mary fadeaway to beat us.
“When it comes to playing on neutral floors, we have been unbelievable, if not the best team in college basketball this year. So, I’m standing on that. I’m confident in that.”
Confidence is key for Haliburton this time of year, which is why he’s adamant in his stance of playing only one bracket in the field of millions.
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers walks off the court after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum Feb. 6, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
EVERY BRACKET BUSTS FOR REESE’S
What Haliburton is also confident about is his love for Reese’s Cups, making his partnership with the beloved chocolate and peanut butter candy perfect for March Madness.
There’s never been a perfect bracket. It’s inevitable that, whether you make one or 100, the brackets will bust.
Reese’s is urging college basketball fans to share their busted brackets on social media, following @Reeses and using the #ForAReesesSweeps hashtag on Instagram, X or TikTok for a chance to win not only free Reese’s Cups, but a chance to attend the men’s or women’s Final Four and championship games.
“Two of my favorite things coming together. It’s something I’m very excited about,” Haliburton said. “Obviously, everybody’s bracket is going to bust. So, if it’s going to bust, might as well win something out of it.
“The fact that you can go on social media, tag Reese’s, put the hashtag in, post your bracket and you have the chance to go to the Final Four — I think that’s pretty special. It’s really cool and something I’m excited to be a part of.”
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers during a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center Jan. 8, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
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Haliburton was also a part of a fun Bracket Summit, where he, New York Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart and college basketball analysts Richard Jefferson and Andraya Carter built and shared their men’s and women’s tournament picks with the world.
While his brackets may bust, Haliburton simply hopes Iowa State will end up on top in the end.
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