March Madness: Do you agree with Obama's pick?
March Madness is in the air, and even the leader of the free world can't resist the appeal. President Obama told ESPN his pick before he left for the Middle East.
President Obama, seen here playing with children during the 2010 Easter Egg Roll, played competitive basketball in high school and still finds time to shoot some hoops. When asked about March Madness, he told reporters, 'This is Indiana's year.'
Jason Reed / Reuters
WASHINGTON
President Barack Obama on Wednesday picked Indiana University to win the NCAA annual men's college basketball tournament, joining in the "March Madness" office pool craze that sweeps America every spring.
The president, an avid sports fan, forecast that Indiana would defeat the widely favored University of Louisville in the championship game.
"I think this is Indiana's year," he said in an interview on ESPN, the sports cable network.
Obama, who began a three day trip to the Middle East on Wednesday, taped the interview on Tuesday.
Millions of Americans are obsessed with the annual National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament, which pits the nation's top teams against one another in 67 games over several weeks.
Betting in office pools is widespread, and celebrities and analysts share and discuss their picks, known as brackets.
The national champion will be crowned on April 8 in Atlanta.
The president was a backup player on a high school basketball team that won a state championship and continues to play in reportedly vigorous games of pickup basketball. He has shown a detailed knowledge of college basketball players, coaches and teams in explaining his picks.
