Obama Picks Kansas Over UNC: His 2016 March Madness Bracket

Every year Obama takes part in the March Madness, making his delicate choices among the NCAA teams. Who did Obama pick to win the March Madness Contest this year?

According to ESPN, Obama made a solid choice for Kansas to win overall. Why is this a good choice for Obama to make? ESPN shows Kansas as being the number one ranked team this year with a 30-4 record with the most points, as well.

Obama also chose the Tar Heels to knock off Michigan State in the final four. This was the third time Obama has chosen Kansas as the winner and he is hoping this will give him the win for his last presidential year, as he will be leaving office in January 2017.

ESPN also shares that Obama correctly chose the winner during his first presidential year when he chose North Carolina back in 2009, although this was the only time during his eight years of presidency. Obama says he is hoping to get it right his last year.

“I have a tendency to pick programs, but I think that may just be an accident this year. There are some teams out there that are from the mid-majors that I think are high-quality teams, but they may not have the right match-up this year.”

Obama admitted to ESPN that he picks based on the coaches more than anything.

“I have a tendency to pick the coach as much as anything, because typically these days, with one-and-done, what you see is continuity with the program. Coach K Mike Krzyzewski or Coach Tom Izzo or Coach Self, Coach John Calipari, they know how to take even their blue-chip freshmen and mold them, so that by the time the tournament comes around they’re ready. I haven’t always picked the right top four teams, but typically it’s been one of the top teams that’s ended up winning the tournament.”

Mashable shared Obama’s track record for his March Madness brackets.

• 2009- North Carolina: Win!
• 2010- Kansas: WRONG! Duke took the win and Kansas lost in the third round.
• 2011- Kansas: WRONG! Connecticut took the win and once again, Kansas lost in the third round.
• 2012- North Carolina: WRONG! Kentucky won and North Carolina lost in the third round.
• 2013- Indiana: WRONG! Louisville took the win and Indiana lost in the THIRD ROUND!
• 2014- Michigan State: WRONG! Connecticut won and Michigan State lost in the third round.
• 2015- Kentucky: WRONG AGAIN! Duke took the win and Kentucky lost in the third round!

How is Obama at picking his winning teams overall and his final four picks? Let’s take a look at what Mashable shared.

• 2009- Obama was 65% correct with 41 of 63 games and picked 1 of the final four
• 2010- Obama was 60% correct with 38 of 63 games, but he didn’t pick any of the final four
• 2011- Obama was 68% correct with 43 of 63 games, but once again did not pick any of the final four teams
• 2012- Obama broke his record with 70% correct, 44 of 63 games, and even picked 2 of the final four teams
• 2013- Obama lost his touch with only 59% correct, 37 of 63 games, and picked 1 of the final four teams
• 2014- Obama was 62% correct with 39 of 63 games, and picked 1 of the final four
• 2015- Obama was 62% correct with 39 of 63 games and picked 2 of the final four

Overall, Obama’s only been about 25 percent right with the final four predictions and 64 percent on all games. He may be the president of the United States, but he’s just like most of us when it comes to making his March Madness bracket choices.

So, Obama doesn’t necessarily have the best track record for picking winners by any means, but it’s a tradition of his. Obama made the statement to ESPN that “college sports at its best can bring people together.”