Last Updated on September 11, 2023 by SPN Editor
March Madness 2023 has arrived once again, and both the current President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the former President, Barack Obama, are partaking in the excitement by filling out their brackets.
As basketball enthusiasts know, this has evolved into something of a tradition for Obama, who has been sharing his picks with the public since 2009. Nevertheless, it is a rare occurrence to see a sitting president join in on the fun.
Biden, an alumnus of Delaware and Syracuse, may not have a team competing this season, but his interest is piqued due to the presence of the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, who is a proud Villanova alumna.
In March Madness 2023, POTUS has chosen the Villanova Wildcats for the women’s side, but for the men’s side, he has opted for the Arizona Wildcats, who are a 2-seed and will commence their pursuit for the championship against the 15-seed Princeton on Thursday.
In the meantime, Obama’s picks are not unexpected, as the distinguished college basketball aficionado has been sharing his brackets for several years. However, his choice of champion for the men’s tournament may raise a few eyebrows.
Obama has selected the Duke Blue Devils, a No. 5 seed, to win it all. This is the lowest-ranked team he has ever chosen to win the championship, and only the third time he has predicted a non-No. 1 seed to take the crown in 14 tournaments.
Despite his bold selection, Obama has a history of choosing perennial powerhouses. In the past, he has chosen North Carolina three times, Kansas three times, Michigan State twice, Gonzaga twice, Kentucky once, Indiana once, and now Duke twice.
For the women’s tournament, Obama played it safe by selecting the reigning South Carolina Gamecocks as his champion. This is his third time picking them, but his overwhelming favorite over the years has been UConn, whom he has chosen on eight occasions.
Between the men’s and women’s tournaments, Obama has accurately predicted the champions eight times since 2009.
As for this year’s March Madness 2023 bracket, only time will tell if either Biden or Obama will come out on top. For Duke or South Carolina fans, they’ll be hoping for a fortunate No. 9 (and 10).
Manglemba Naorem
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