Iowa State's 82-63 rout of Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA tournament prompted a petty post from Cyclones alum Tyrese Haliburton. Moments after the victory, Haliburton tweeted that he went to text Kentucky players before realizing they now consider themselves Arkansas alums, presumably due to former Wildcats coach John Calipari's move to Arkansas in 2024. Haliburton's jab highlighted a trend where former Kentucky stars, now in the NBA, openly support Calipari's new program, a shift noted by ESPN.

Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace, both former Calipari players, named Arkansas as a tournament favorite, prompting an admin to ask Wallace 'Coach Cal?' to which he simply replied 'Yeah.' Haliburton relished his alma mater's win, having lost in the first round himself in 2019.