To say that President Obama is a big-time sports fan would almost be an understatement.
Whether it's proudly showing love towards his hometown Chicago Bulls, ribbing championship-winning pro teams at the White House or stroking quite the sweet jumpshot in hoops himself, the Commander-in-Chief loves sports.
That being said, part of his yearly tradition has been filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket — like seemingly everyone else — but not as part of an office pool. Instead, President Obama fills his bracket out with ESPN, specifically reporter Andy Katz through the years.
And so, who does the POTUS have winning it all this year? Kansas rejoice because he's going with the Jayhawks, hoping they make him look good in his last full year of presidency, before leaving office in January 2017.
With Katz beside him at the White House this week, Obama picked Kansas to eliminate Texas A&M, North Carolina and Michigan State, before winning the national title on April 4 in Houston.
"Bill Self owes me,'' Obama told ESPN in reference to the Jayhawks longtime coach, while filling out the bracket. "I'm putting Kansas in here. Coach, I'm just teasing. I'm not putting pressure on you. But I think the Jayhawks in a squeaker get past UNC.''
He added: "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.''
Hey, we all have our own philosophies when it comes to filling out a bracket. Whatever the President's are, though, he could use this win, considering he hasn't been correct in the past six years after correctly selecting the Tar Heels to win it all in 2009 during his first full year in office.
Like his pick for Kansas? Strong selection if you ask us.
