How Biden’s, Harris’s and Obama’s brackets are faring heading into Final Four

After two weeks of tournament basketball, the men’s and women’s Final Four match-ups have taken shape, and like many Americans, the White House brackets are mostly busted. President Biden, Vice President Harris and former President Obama each had big misses in their Final Four predictions.

For the men’s tournament, No. 1 seed Connecticut is slated to face No. 4 seed Alabama, while top-seeded Purdue plays underdog 11th-seeded North Carolina State. The Wolfpack shocked college basketball with a pair of massive upsets, taking down No. 2 seed Marquette and then in-state rival Duke, a No. 4 seed.

Biden, Harris and Obama each wrote in N.C. State losing early, Obama in the second round to Kentucky, and Biden and Harris to Marquette in the Sweet 16. Kentucky did not advance to play N.C. State after losing in a shocking upset to 14th-seed Oakland in the first round. 

The Wildcats made the Final Four in Obama’s bracket, with that pick being the biggest miss of his predictions. Notably, Obama announced his picks on the debut episode of Kentucky coach John Calipari’s podcast.

Biden’s bracket was also busted early, after he predicted Alabama would fall to No. 13 seed Charleston in the first round. The Crimson Tide put up 109 points on Charleston and went on to defeat one of his Final Four picks, No. 1 seed North Carolina, in the Sweet 16.

All three picked Connecticut to win it all, with that outcome still possible. The Huskies entered the men’s tournament as the favorite, and the school’s men’s and women’s teams are in the Final Four.

On the women’s side, No. 1 seeds Iowa and South Carolina remain, set to face No. 3 seeds Connecticut and N.C. State, respectively. 

Only Obama’s bracket had faith in Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark. Biden predicted the Hawkeyes would be upset by Colorado in the Sweet 16, while Harris said UCLA would defeat them in the Elite Eight. Clark led her team to victory Monday in a dominating performance against Louisiana State.

Biden’s was the only bracket to pick Connecticut to make both Final Four groupings, while none of the six brackets penciled in the N.C. State men’s or women’s team.

All three of their brackets picked South Carolina to win the women’s tournament, again siding with the favorite to take the title.