Gerry Broome/AP
President Obama is picking Duke to defeat UNC in the men's championship game, and the UConn Huskies to once again triumph in the women's tournament.
- President Barack Obama released his March Madness brackets.
- The presidential bracket was a tradition for sometimes, but has fallen out of favor under the Trump administration.
- Obama is picking Duke to defeat UNC in the men's championship game, and the UConn Huskies to once again triumph in the women's tournament.
Former president Barack Obama has released his predictions for the 2019 NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, keeping alive a tradition that has fallen out of favor in President Donald Trump's White House.
This year Obama made a few jarring picks that would definitely make for compelling basketball should they come to fruition - including a Duke-UNC men's final.
Take a look below at Obama's predictions for the 2019 NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.
President Obama's Men's NCAA Tournament Bracket
Obama is going pretty chalk in the men's bracket this year, picking No. 1 Duke, No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Tennessee, and No. 2 Michigan to reach the Final Four in Minneapolis.
His biggest Cinderella teams are 12-seeds Oregon and New Mexico State dancing their way in to the Sweet 16.
That said, Obama's bracket is still a recipe for chaos, with a Duke-North Carolina rematch in the championship game that would be the most heated chapter in the history of college basketball's greatest rivalry.
Obama picked Duke to win the whole thing, which should come as no surprise - Obama was seen sitting courtside at a Duke-North Carolina game earlier in the season, during which superstar Zion Williamson's shoe exploded just seconds in to the game.
President Obama's Women's NCAA Tournament Bracket
Obama selected the UConn Huskies to regain their spot atop the college basketball world in the NCAA women's tournament.
In the women's bracket, Obama is once again playing it safe, backing No. 1 Baylor, No. 1 Mississippi State, No. 1 Notre Dame, and No. 2 UConn to reach the Final Four.
Obama appears to have faith in the Huskies, picking them to win the whole tournament. UConn has lost just two games this season, but that's more than they've dropped in five years.
That said, head coach Geno Auriemma and his players have proven themselves time and time again when the tournament comes around - UConn hasn't failed to reach the Final Four in more than a decade.
- More March Madness 2019:
Here are the most likely March Madness upsets, according to Las Vegas
21 players we can't wait to watch in the NCAA Tournament, ranked
We picked March Madness favorites, sleepers, and Cinderellas for every region in the bracket
The Cinderella team that rocked March Madness the year you were born