Obama plays it safe, picks Kentucky to win it all

President Obama went with chalk in his annual March Madness bracket Wednesday, selecting the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats to win the national championship in men’s college basketball this year.

“The chances are high,” Obama, a diehard basketball fan, told ESPN of UK finishing the season 40-0. “And I’m putting Kentucky in there. They are prohibitive favorites and for a good reason.”

The president has Kentucky besting Villanova to cut down the nets.

Obama also tapped Arizona and Duke for his Final Four. All of his selections for those last games in Indianapolis are either 1 or 2 seeds.

The president picked a handful of upsets in early-round games, perhaps most notably, Davidson over Gonzaga in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Obama has turned the brackets into an annual tradition, an attempt by the White House to reach a widespread audience.

However, Obama has been criticized in some circles for holding the event with so many bigger problems on his plate.

Obama’s track record with his bracket has been mixed.

He hasn’t successfully selected the national champion since choosing the University of North Carolina in 2009.

“This is going to be the year, guys,” he told ESPN. “I’m winning the pool.”

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