President Barack Obama appeared on ESPN Thursday to fill out his bracket for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament a day after doing the same for the men’s field, the first round of which begins today.
Obama, a basketball player himself, shared his picks with former WNBA and UCONN star Rebecca Lobo. Her Huskies are the prohibitive favorites to win their third consecutive national title, and the President wasn’t feeling lucky.
When Lobo noted that Obama has been more successful at picking the women’s champion than the men’s in recent years, the President replied, “Because I’ve picked UCONN a lot. And I’m picking them again this year.”
He did reserve a bold prediction in his bracket for No. 8 seed Princeton, which he picked to upset No. 1 seed Maryland and fifth-seeded Mississippi State to advance to the field of four. The selection comes with admitted bias, however — freshman Leslie Robinson, the President’s niece by marriage, is a forward for the Tigers.
Rounding out Obama’s Final Four are South Carolina and Notre Dame, which the Commander-in-Chief likes in both tournaments, projecting the Irish to go as far as the Elite Eight against undefeated Kentucky. However, while the President has previously favored North Carolina, he believes they will fall to Wisconsin this year.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the President has Arizona knocking off Baylor. And bad news for Oklahoma fans: Obama has their team losing to Virginia early on in the tourney.
Obama also sees several upsets in the works, including No. 2 seed Gonzaga losing to Iowa State. He also thinks Buffalo will topple West Virginia.
The President’s Final Four lineup stands at Kentucky, Arizona, Duke and Villanova, with Kentucky and Villanova advancing to the championship game.
And who does the President pick to win it all? Congratulations, Kentucky fans, you have the President’s support to take the title in 2015.
Watch video of the President’s picks in the women’s bracket here or above.
Watch video of the President’s picks in the men’s bracket here or below.