Image via Complex Original
Every year, President Obama invites ESPN's Andy Katz to the White House to fill out his NCAA Tournament bracket. And more often than not, we're left underwhelmed by the President's picks. He's made a habit out of putting together incredibly chalk-y brackets that feature nothing but the highest seeds in the tournament going to the Final Four. Look no further than his 2014 NCAA Tournament bracket for proof of that (yes, he picked two No. 4 seeds to go to the Final Four, but keep in mind that those were the two teams—Michigan State and Louisville—that almost every analyst in America picked to advance to that point in the tournament).
So when we heard that President Obama picked Kentucky to win the title this season—a team that's currently 34-0 and looking to cap off an undefeated season with a run to the National Championship Game—we thought, "Here we go again!" But we've gotta give the Commander-in-Chief a little bit of credit this year. Even though he did pick Kentucky to go all the way, he also clearly put some thought into his bracket, which was published on the White House's blog this morning. Just look at all of the second-guessing he did!
So with that in mind, we decided to analyze President Obama's 2015 NCAA Tournament bracket a little bit more closely than we have in the past (sorry for calling you a front-runner last year, Mr. President!). Here are our 7 biggest takeaways from his 2015 picks.
President Obama put way too much thought into the Northern Iowa/Wyoming game.
"Wyoming…no, UNI…no, Wyoming…no…I JUST DON'T KNOW WHO TO PICK!" We imagine that the President spent countless hours—and lost a lot of sleep—trying to decide who to pick in the 5/12 matchup in the East Region. He originally went with the upset. But then, he changed his mind and went with the favorite. And then, after thinking about it some more, he went back to the upset. So he's probably not going to get much work done when that game airs on Friday afternoon. Who would have guessed that that game would present so many problems for him?
President Obama has as much faith in Kansas in the NCAA Tournament as everyone else.
It feels like the Jayhawks get upset in the tournament almost every year, doesn't it? So while the President does have them going to the Sweet 16, that's where their run ends in his bracket. And we imagine that if he had a little bit more faith in Wichita State—he almost picked them to lose to Indiana before changing his mind—he'd probably have Kansas getting knocked out even earlier.
President Obama may have inadvertently given North Carolina the bulletin board material they're going to need to beat Wisconsin.
Roy Williams is definitely hanging the President's bracket up on UNC's bulletin board, right? Because he originally had UNC knocking Wisconsin off before thinking, "Eh, let's not get too carried away." So if the Tar Heels end up busting your bracket by making it all the way to the Final Four, you know who to blame.
President Obama isn't buying into the Gonzaga hype.
A lot of analysts think this might be the year the Bulldogs finally make it to the Final Four. The President isn't so sure. In fact, he doesn't even have them making it out of the first weekend! DAVIDSON?!
President Obama is, however, buying into the Iowa State hype.
A lot of analysts also think Iowa State is going to make a deep run in the tournament. And while the President isn't buying into Gonzaga, he is buying into the Cyclones. Although, it's worth noting that, if things shake out the way he thinks they will (specifically, Davidson advancing to the Sweet 16), there's no reason for Iowa State not to advance to the Elite 8.
President Obama probably should have waited another day to fill out his bracket.
He has both BYU and Dayton advancing past the first round of the tournament. And while those weren't necessarily terrible picks, BYU already lost to Ole Miss in the First Four round, meaning the President is down a team before the real tournament even starts. And there's a chance that Dayton could lose to Boise State tonight and eliminate another pick for him. NOT A GOOD START!
President Obama is going to piss off Coach K again.
Late last year, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was very critical of President Obama's strategy for dealing with ISIS. And after he takes a look at the President's bracket, we get the sense that he'll be critical again. The President does have Duke in the Final Four but has them falling to Villanova (or "NOVA" as the President calls them throughout his bracket) to set up a Kentucky/Villanova matchup in the final game. So it's safe to say that if the Blue Devils end up making a run to the title game and winning the championship, Coach K & Co.'s trip to the White House will be interesting, to say the least.
What do you think about President Obama's bracket? Sound off below.
