Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

rebel basketball:

Barack Obama has UNLV beating Colorado, losing to Baylor in NCAA Tournament

President’s bracket has North Carolina beating Kentucky for the national title; Ohio State and Missouri also making Final Four

President Obama Speaks at UPS in Las Vegas

Erik Kabik/Retna/ErikKabik.com

President Obama speaks at a UPS facility in Las Vegas on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012.

President Obama has the UNLV basketball team winning a game in this year’s NCAA Tournament — the first time in three years he's picked the Rebels.

Obama made his picks Wednesday morning on ESPN’s SportsCenter, taking the No. 6 seeded Rebels to beat Colorado Thursday in their South Region opener. However, the president has UNLV falling two days later in the third round to Baylor.

This is the fourth year Obama filled out a bracket for ESPN analyst Andy Katz. The past two seasons, he correctly picked the winner of UNLV’s opening round game — he took Northern Iowa in 2010 and Illinois in 2011.

In 2009, Obama’s first year in office, he correctly picked North Carolina to win the national title.

This year, he also has the Tar Heels winning the crown, beating Kentucky for the championship. His other Final Four teams are Ohio State and Missouri.

He’s picked Kansas the past two years to win the title, but it has been upset both seasons in failing to make the Final Four. “They broke my heart each year,” Obama joked.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.

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