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President Barack Obama does not want to be defeated in November. But he is welcoming anyone in the country to beat him in March.
For the fourth consecutive year, Obama revealed his NCAA men's basketball March Madness bracket on ESPN on Wednesday morning. This year, however, the president is challenging the country to top him in the number of correct picks in the tournament in the Obama Bracket Challenge.
"It's college basketball time again and as friends and co-workers gather around the water cooler to talk top seeds and Cinderellas, here's your chance to fill out a bracket with the president himself," a statement on Obama's website said. "And how's this for bragging rights: We'll publish a list of everyone who does better than the president here on BarackObama.com after the tournament is over."
While the "First Fan" considers himself a basketball connoisseur, that list might be pretty long considering Obama's March Madness track record. Obama has not fared well in picking the Final Four contestants in past years. He had his best bracket last year when he finished in the top 13 percent of ESPN's nearly 6 million Bracket Challenge participants.
Obama - who has annually played it safe with his Final Four picks - stayed with favorites again for the most part. He picked No. 1 seeds Kentucky and North Carolina and No. 2 seeds Ohio State and Missouri to reach the Final Four. He has North Carolina winning it all - perhaps a not-so-subtle nod to the fact he hopes North Carolina will be a swing state in this year's presidential election as it was in 2008.
Obama entertained Great Britain Prime Minister David Cameron at the opening game of the tournament Tuesday evening in Dayton, Ohio. Cameron is on an official state visit to the United States.
After the "First Four" concludes Wednesday, the men's NCAA tournament begins Thursday at 12:15 p.m. when No. 6 Murray State takes on No. 11 Colorado State in the West Bracket.
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