Barack Obama was affectionately known by hoop fans as the “first basketball president,” after so many golf presidents and not a few football presidents. President Gerald Ford even played on the gridiron at Michigan.
But even with its presidential pedigree, the immensely competitive Big Ten Conference gets no respect in Obama’s 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket. Of all the four #1 regional seeds, Obama knocks out the Big Ten’s Purdue Boilermakers first, sending big 7’4″ Zach Edey and company packing in the second round.
Of the remaining regional #1 seeds, only Houston makes it to the Final Four in Obama’s bracket. And yes, Duke wins.
QueenBaddie665 lets Obama hear it about his Midwest diss in the comments, writing: “Purdue losing to Memphis in the second round is a crime.”
More criminal yet, perhaps, is that Obama doesn’t have any of the eight Big Ten teams doing much damage. He could have sent any one of the wholesome midwestern schools below, all in the tourney this year, to the finals. It’s even harder to grasp when you consider the man is from Chicago, Illinois!
- Purdue Boilermakers (1-seed)
- Indiana Hoosiers (4-seed)
- Michigan State Spartans (7-seed)
- Northwestern Wildcats (7-seed)
- Maryland Terrapins (8-seed)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (8-seed)
- Illinois Fighting Illini (9-seed)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (10-seed)
