Barack Obama releases NCAA March Madness 2024 brackets: See the former president's picks

Mr. Speaker, the (former) president's NCAA brackets.

Former President Barack Obama released his brackets for the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments early Tuesday morning.

In the men's field Obama played it safe with just a few upsets in the first round. In the later rounds, he favored some of the more successful programs in recent years, giving UConn, Baylor, Kentucky and Purdue his Final Four spots. In the end, he picked UConn to cut down the nets after defeating Kentucky in Glendale, Arizona.

On the women's side the 44th president heavily favored the higher seeds with three No. 1 seeds – South Carolina, Southern California and Iowa – along with No. 2 seed Stanford in the Final Four. He chose the Gamecocks to lift the trophy in Cleveland.

Obama has picked the men's tournament winner twice since he began releasing brackets in 2009 and the women's winner six times since he began picking that tournament in 2010.

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President Barack Obama's March Madness 2024 men's and women's bracket

President Obama's previous men's picks

• 2023 — Pick: Duke | Winner: UCONN
• 2022 — Pick: Gonzaga | Winner: Kansas
• 2021 — Pick: Gonzaga | Winner: Baylor
• 2019 — Pick: Duke | Winner: Virginia
• 2018 — Pick: Michigan State | Winner: Villanova
• 2017 — Pick: North Carolina | Winner: North Carolina
• 2016 — Pick Kansas | Winner: Villanova
• 2015 — Pick: Kentucky | Winner: Duke
• 2014 — Pick: Michigan State | Winner: Connecticut
• 2013 — Pick: Indiana | Winner: Louisville
• 2012 — Pick: North Carolina | Winner: Kentucky
• 2011 — Pick: Kansas | Winner: Connecticut
• 2010 — Pick: Kansas | Winner: Duke
• 2009 — Pick: North Carolina | Winner: North Carolina

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President Obama's previous women's picks

• 2023 — Pick: South Carolina | Winner: LSU
• 2022 — Pick: South Carolina | Winner: South Carolina
• 2021 — Pick: Baylor | Winner: Stanford
• 2019 — Pick: UConn | Winner: Baylor
• 2018 — Pick: UConn | Winner: Notre Dame
• 2017 — Pick: UConn | Winner: South Carolina
• 2016 — Pick UConn | Winner: UConn
• 2015 — Pick: UConn | Winner: UConn
• 2014 — Pick: UConn | Winner: UConn
• 2013 — Pick: Baylor | Winner: UConn
• 2012 — Pick: Baylor | Winner: Baylor
• 2011 — Pick: UConn | Winner: Texas A&M
• 2010 — Pick: UConn | Winner: UConn