Current:Home > FinancePresident Obama's 2024 March Madness bracket revealed-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
President Obama's 2024 March Madness bracket revealed
View Date:2024-12-23 15:05:04
One of the world's most famous basketball fans revealed his 2024 NCAA basketball tournament brackets. Former President Barack Obama shared his March Madness bracket exclusively on "CBS Mornings" Tuesday, and he explained why he makes his picks public each year.
For the final four of the men's tournament, Obama chose UConn, Kentucky, Baylor and Purdue, with UConn and Kentucky in the final and UConn winning for the second straight year.
For the women's final four, he has South Carolina, Stanford, USC and and Iowa, with South Carolina and Iowa in the finals and South Carolina winning.
Obama has publicly released his bracket every year since taking office in 2009. "He completely gets it wrong every time," CBS News' Vlad Duthiers remarked while sharing the brackets on "CBS Mornings." "He only got it right once, but he says it's all par of his master plan."
On the "Ways to Win" podcast, hosted by his brother-in-law Craig Robinson, Obama explained why he releases his brackets.
"My attitude is, you know, it gives people great pleasure with all the intelligence I have available to me – you know, the CIA, the NSA, all of that input – when they beat me, they feel good. I want to give people that satisfaction," he joked.
Obama predicted the winner of the 2009 NCAA tournament – North Carolina – and people were impressed of the new president's basketball knowledge.
"They thought, 'Look at the president of theUnited States. He's in the top 4% of all the people who enter in their brackets publicly.' And I was kind of feeling it, and I thought, 'You know what, I think this is what's going to happen every year,'" he said on the podcast. "And I'm pretty sure each year I've lost since then. So, I have not necessarily picked a winner [lately]."
The odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 120 billion. But two Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates attempted to build a computer model that would beat the odds. "Picking the teams that are going to win that are like the favorites, that will get you an OK bracket. But if you want to win, you gotta pick the upsets. That's the secret sauce," Tauhid Zaman told Duthiers last year.
If you don't have access to such technology, Shawn Chao recommends keeping an eye on the first round, saying there are "typically" about "10 upsets or so."
"Some of the most common upsets are the sixth-ranked team and the 11th-ranked team, where the 11th-ranked team actually beats the sixth-ranked team about 3/7 of the time," Chao said.
CBS and TBS will televise 21 games each during the NCAA Tournament, while truTV and TNT will carry 13 and 12, respectively.
- In:
- March Madness
- College Basketball
Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Duke basketball vs Kentucky live updates: Highlights, scores, updates from Champions Classic
- Taylor Taranto, Jan. 6 defendant arrested near Obama's home, threatened to blow up van at government facility, feds say
- Amy Schumer Says She Couldn't Play With Son Gene Amid Struggle With Ozempic Side Effects
- Floods and Climate Change
- Pistons' Ausar Thompson cleared to play after missing 8 months with blood clot
- Yellen lands in Beijing for high-stakes meetings with top Chinese officials
- Man was not missing for 8 years as mother claimed, Houston police say
- Ohio man sentenced to life in prison for rape of 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana for abortion
- Atmospheric river to bring heavy snow, rain to Northwest this week
- The Radical Case for Growing Huge Swaths of Bamboo in North America
Ranking
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- Book excerpt: American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal
- Solar Is Saving Low-Income Households Money in Colorado. It Could Be a National Model.
- Yellen lands in Beijing for high-stakes meetings with top Chinese officials
- Taylor Swift touches down in Kansas City as Chiefs take on Denver Broncos
- Clean Energy Is a Winner in Several States as More Governors, Legislatures Go Blue
- How 12 Communities Are Fighting Climate Change and What’s Standing in Their Way
- Congressional Republicans seek special counsel investigation into Hunter Biden whistleblower allegations
Recommendation
-
Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
-
UN Climate Talks Slowed by Covid Woes and Technical Squabbles
-
Book excerpt: American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal
-
Jake Gyllenhaal and Girlfriend Jeanne Cadieu Ace French Open Style During Rare Outing
-
Blake Shelton Announces New Singing Competition Show After Leaving The Voice
-
Proof Ariana Madix & New Man Daniel Wai Are Going Strong After Explosive Vanderpump Rules Reunion
-
Shipping Lines Turn to LNG-Powered Vessels, But They’re Worse for the Climate
-
Dyson Flash Sale: Save $200 on the TP7A Air Purifier & Fan During This Limited-Time Deal