Dan Shanoff’s Sneak Peak At Obama’s Bracket (With Analysis)
Posted by: Baller-in-Chief in Articles(From Dan Shanoff for the Sporting News Online)
Shanoff’s Wake Up Call: Obama’s Bracket Picks
You know the President is a huge hoops fan when his NCAA Tournament picks are being broadcast as an event in and of themselves.
The official “reveal” might not be until noon, but we already know who Barack Obama is picking to the Final Four: Louisville, Pitt, UNC and Memphis. Three 1-seeds and a near-1? That is playing it fairly safe.
His complete bracket won’t be announced until noon, but — if you want a sneak peek — we already know his COMPLETE brackets from the South and East.
South 1st Round Picks: Pitt, Tennessee, Florida State, Xavier, VCU, Villanova, Texas, Duke
South 2nd Round Picks: Pitt, FSU, Nova, Duke
South Regional Final: Pitt over Duke
Analysis: The President plays it conservatively, picking only one real upset in the opening round (VCU over UCLA — which is THE popular upset pick in the South), then a minor upset with (5) FSU over (4) Xavier in the 2nd round. That’s risky: FSU could lose in the classic 12-5 upset to Wisconsin.
Barack Obama’s East Region:
East 1st Round Picks: UNC, Butler, Illinois, Gonzaga, Temple, Syracuse, Clemson, Oklahoma
East 2nd Round Picks: UNC, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Oklahoma
East Regional Final: UNC over Syracuse.
Analysis: I didn’t expect him to pick against his home-state Illini (even though they are in the 12-5 upset slot), and you have to wonder if picking against Arizona State is a tweak against his old election rival, John McCain. Love Cuse over OU in the regional semi — the President must have been as enamored with Cuse after the 6-OT game as the rest of us.
His picks are like his governing style: Pragmatic. I would have hoped for a little more audacity, but Obama didn’t win the election by going to extremes. I presume he will win the White House office pool with the same cool-headed strategy.
Loading ...
