Barack Obama Picks UCF to Upset Northwestern in NCAA Tournament

Former President Barack Obama revealed his men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament brackets on Thursday and the UCF Knights are on the board.

In the first round of the Alamo Region, Obama locked in No. 10 seed UCF to upset No. 7 seed Northwestern.

Obama’s Northwestern pick might come as a surprise as a Chicago man, but let’s not forget about the University of Chicago’s ongoing rivalry with the Wildcats.

The former president then picked No. 2 seed Louisville over No. 15-seeded Marist — leading to a Cardinals win over the Knights in the Round of 32, should UCF beat Northwestern.

Obama, who has been sharing his March Madness brackets since his first term as president in 2009, also has No. 9 seed Washington State over No. 8 seed USF (insert wink emoji here).

Stanford, Maryland, Baylor and NC State eventually make it to Obama’s Final Four, with Baylor winning it all. On the men’s side, his Final Four is Gonzaga, Michigan, Illinois and Baylor, with the Zags getting the chip.

This is the second time in the last three seasons Katie Abrahamson-Henderson’s Knights have clinched an at-large bid to the tournament. UCF went dancing in 2019 as a No. 12 seed, losing 60-45 to No. 5 seed Arizona State.

A No. 10 seed is UCF’s highest-ever placement in the NCAA Tournament.

UCF is scheduled to face Northwestern on Monday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Daniella Medina is a contributing writer for Black & Gold Banneret. Follow her on Twitter @danimedinanews.