The President Has Spoken - Obama's Bracket Picks

With everybody in the country filling out their March Madness Bracket , BetUS checked into the official Presidential Bracket to see who Obama's got coming out of the Final Four and the Audacity of Hoops. Find out where the President can make you money, and where it's OK to back the favorite.

It seems that amid a financial crisis, the war in Iraq, wide spread obesity and escalating crime rates, even Obama can’t keep himself pulled away from The Madness. Mr. President has released his official Presidential Bracket, and it’s worth a story to see just how good his picks are. Hey, if they’re good enough, maybe Obama can lump the $765 billion bailout money on his bracket to put the country ahead for once.

Obama's Picks

Let’s start in the Midwest, where Obama has lumped his good fortunes on the shoulders of Michigan State and Louisville to meet in the Elite 8. Big surprise there. The Red Birds and Spartans are the first and second seeds, boasting +125 and +330 odds to pull away from the rest and emerge on the other side. The big upset specialists in the Midwest are Wake Forest and Kansas, and I’d be wary before handing the title to the Louisville Cardinals just yet. They have all the momentum, but I don’t like their consistency. You can’t depend on momentum through the Midwest. Eventually you have to depend on basketball.

And that’s exactly what he did in West bracket, where he pulled for the Memphis Tigers as the candidate to represent in the Final Four. He’s pushed Purdue all the way to the Sweet 16, bringing a slew of betting fanatics to lump money on the boilermakers but the truth is that this is Memphis’s bracket to lose. They control the pace of the game and only the mega-culture of hoops at UConn stands in their way. Solid choice, Mr. President.

Out of the East bracket, The Most Powerful Man In the Western World has selected Pittsburgh to take out Duke. His only major underdog is the scrappy eleventh seed Virginia Commonwealth outlasting UCLA in the first round. Back Pittsburgh’s top ranked defense is a solid choice by the President, but you can’t count out Xavier or Duke so easily, especially with the steam rolling momentum of the Blue Devils right now.

Staying Conservative?

Finally, and here’s my biggest disappointment. The President has UNC advancing out of the South bracket all the way to the top of the hill. Where’s your support for the underdog, Obama? Grow some balls (oh crap…why are their little red dots flashing all over my desk suddenly?)! UNC and Tyler Hansbrough are the sentimental favorite, and a juggernaut, but the health of Ty Lawson, their elite point guard, leaves doubt.

Coming from the first non-white President, I’m a little upset that he’s backing the favorites so heavily. The highest seed in his Sweet Sixteen is fifth ranked Purdue and fifth ranked Florida State. The highest upset he has the first round alone is VCU over UCLA. Coming from a guy that overcame 400 year-old odds, I find it hard to believe he doesn’t like the underdogs a bit more.