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President Barack Obama has unveiled his NCAA tournament picks in the last installment of Barack-etology, which ESPN presented Wednesday morning.
Known for picking chalk, Obama is hoping to correctly predict the national champion for the first time since North Carolina cut the nets down in 2009.
He managed to stray from his tendency of rolling with favorites in the West region, which is home to Oklahoma (2-seed), Texas A&M (3-seed), Baylor (5-seed) and Texas (6-seed).
“This is the side of the bracket that I think offers the most possible upsets,” Obama said of the West region.
And it’s the Aggies who come out of the West in Obama’s bracket, edging the Sooners in a Sweet 16 matchup before topping Duke for a Final Four berth.
Of picking A&M over Oklahoma, Obama said: “This was tough. I think [Buddy Hield] is a great player and I think he’s gonna be a great pro, but all these teams, I think, are fairly evenly matched. I like the veteran leadership that A&M can provide.”
SportsDayDFW’s Chuck Carlton also likes the Aggies to potentially make a long run, citing favorable matchups, tough defense and an offense that’s difficult to defend when it’s clicking. From an online chat with readers:
Question: I have Texas A&M getting to the Elite Eight. Is that crazy?
Chuck Carlton: “Not at all. Actually believe the Aggies have a pretty solid chance to get to the Final Four. Really believe they’re a good matchup against Oregon. They’ve already beaten Baylor and Texas and could give OU problems. You know A&M will guard you hard and rebound. If Danuel House is on, they’re a hard team to defend. Outside of that inexplicable five-game SEC losing streak, this team has been solid.”
We hate to break it to you, A&M fans, but Obama eventually sticks to a chalk pick and goes with 1-seed Kansas over A&M for a spot in the national title game.
To see how Obama’s Final Four plays out, plus other notable matchups, watch the video below.