Former President Barack Obama kept his March Madness tradition alive this Wednesday by releasing his bracket for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Obama has Arizona, Duke, Illinois and Iowa State making it to the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium. He then has Arizona and Duke meeting in the national championship game. Although the Blue Devils are the No. 1 overall seed, Obama has the Wildcats coming out on top to win their first national title since 1997.
As for any notable upsets, Obama doesn't have any double-digit seeds making it to the second week of the tournament. He doesn't even have a No. 12 seed advancing to the Round of 32.
With that being said, Obama's bracket for this year's tournament received mixed responses.
"UCLA is on a tear," one fan said. "I wouldn't bet against them."
"Let's go Illini in his Final Four," a second fan replied.
"Obama doesn’t know ball having Wisconsin go out second round smh," a social media user wrote.
"President Obama knows ball," another fan declared.
.@BarackObama's bracket is set. What do you think of his picks?
Good luck to all of the athletes competing and the young men from @MBK_Alliance getting a peek into careers in sports. pic.twitter.com/dOPyWEBuKB
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) March 18, 2026
What are the most popular upset picks for this March?
There are plenty of fans picking No. 11 USF to defeat No. 6 Louisville, especially since freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. is out with a back injury.
Fans are also picking No. 11 Texas to take down No. 6 BYU in the opening round. Sean Miller's squad kicked off its tournament with a thrilling 66-68 win over NC State in the First Four.
Those who want to get really bold with their brackets are picking No. 13 Hofstra over No. 4 Alabama due to Aden Holloway's arrest. He's the second-leading scorer for the Crimson Tide this season.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.