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Former President Barack Obama submitted a bracket for the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Tournament in what has been an annual tradition since 2009.
Here’s a look at what team Obama is picking to win and how history could be made if he’s right.
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What Happened: The 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is expected to have 68 million Americans bet on the games through sportsbooks and among friends, as well as compete in bracket competitions.
One of the more famous March Madness brackets making its rounds is one from Obama.
A tradition that started in 2009, Obama makes selections for the men’s and women’s tournaments annually and shares them publicly.
President Joe Biden released a bracket in 2022, but did not make selections in 2021 and has not released a bracket for 2023. Benzinga reached out to the White House for comment and did not hear back.
Obama’s bracket has a Final Four consisting of 3-seeded Baylor, 5-seeded Duke, 1-seeded Houston and 2-seeded UCLA. In the championship game, Obama picks Duke to beat Houston.
A total of nine upsets were selected by Obama in the first round, including 12-seed VCU and 13-seed Iona winning games. Obama has 13-seed Iona in the Sweet 16.
Another notable upset by Obama is 7-seed Michigan State advancing to the Elite 8.
Obama’s bracket shows he originally picked Charleston to win its first round game before scribbling it out and selecting San Diego State.
The bracket shared by Obama also shows a missing selection with the former president failing to select a winner in the hypothetical second-round matchup between Pittsburgh and Xavier.
Illinois residents may be upset to find Obama selecting the University of Illinois to win only one game and not pull the second-round upset over Kansas. Obama has often picked a team from his home state to advance far.
In last year’s March Madness Bracket, Biden selected his alma mater University of Delaware to win the tournament, despite its long odds as a 15-seed.
While the odds of getting a perfect bracket are next to impossible, Obama’s bracket could make history if his champion is right and many other selections are wrong.
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In the history of the expanded tournament dating back to 1985, no 5-seed has ever won the National Championship. Since 1985, every seed from 1 to 8, except for 5 has had at least one team crowned National Champion.
Duke is no stranger to winning March Madness with wins in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015. The Duke Blue Devils were the 1-seed in all of those tournaments, with the lone exception being 1991 when the team was a 2-seed.
Related Link: Country Music Superstar Cancels Concert To Watch Duke Vs. UNC In Final Four
What’s Next: Around 35% of U.S. adults said they plan on watching the NCAA Men’s Tournament, up 6% from last year’s survey.
The interest in watching the games could be good news for Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA)(NASDAQ:PARAA) and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc (NASDAQ:WBD) which share television coverage.
Over $15 billion could be bet on the March Madness tournament in 2023.
Odds on DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ:DKNG) currently list Houston as the favorite at +450, followed by Alabama at +650.
Taking a look at Obama’s bracket, the Duke Blue Devils are listed with odds of +3500 to win the NCAA Tournament.
Another popular futures bet with sportsbooks is to bet on teams to win their respective regions and advance to the Final 4. Here’s a look at the odds on Obama’s Final 4 teams to win their regions:
Baylor: +550
UCLA: +275
Houston: +160
Duke: +750
A parlay combining all the Final 4 selections pays out at odds of +53,768, meaning a $1 bet would pay $538.68. For the bet to cash, all four teams would have to make the Final 4.
Read Next: 6 Biggest Upsets In NCAA March Madness History
Photo: Shutterstock
Crypto Whales Are Loading Up — Are You?
New research shows the biggest crypto buyers are back. And this time? They could hold for the possibility that Bitcoin will surpass $100,000 in 2024. You don’t want to miss the next massive crypto bull run like we saw in 2020 and 2021. To know exactly what’s going on and what to buy… Get Access To Benzinga’s Best Crypto Research and Investments For Only $1.