President Obama lists Princeton in Top Four

In his annual ESPN March Madness bracket predictions, President Barack Obama has the Princeton Tigers advancing all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Acknowledging that he is “completely biased,” Obama gave full and confident support to his niece freshman forward Leslie Robinson. FollowingWednesday’spick, the Tigers’ phenomenal unbeaten record of 30-0 has achieved presidential recognition.

With 64 teams entering the tournament, the coveted Final Four is comprised of the cream of the crop. Earlier in the month, Princeton capped an unbeaten regular season with a win over Penn, but the NCAA only awarded the Tigers a No. 8 seeding — out of 16 — in the tournament based on difficulty of schedule.

For the Tigers to reach the Final Four, President Obama has Princeton beating not only No. 9 University of Wisconsin — Green Bay, which has won 11 straight of late, but also No. 1 University of Maryland, perhaps one of the best teams in the country. Obama eagerly and confidently supported the alma mater of his wife, Michelle Obama ’85, declaring that he’s “got to roll with the Tigers on this one” and that it’s “going to be a major upset.”

Subsequently, Obama picked Princeton to defeat Mississippi State University and Oregon State University, and win the entire Spokane Region. The ESPN host revealed a degree of skepticism at these bold predictions, but in response, Obama simply said, “Why not?”

The First Family’s connection with Princeton basketball runs far and deep. Prior to Leslie, her father Craig Robinson ’83, Michelle Obama’s older brother, played for the team in the early 80s. Craig flourished as a forward on the team and won two consecutive Ivy League Player of the Year awards in 1982 and 1983.

His daughter Leslie is now continuing the family legacy. Coming off the bench, Leslie has averaged 3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, and has been a “great all-around player” according to the President.

Following upset after upset, Obama eventually picked notorious University of Connecticut to end the Tigers’ run, saying that he’s "got to have some credibility in this process.” Nevertheless, the President’s greatly supportive predictions set the tone for a historic postseason run.

The Tigers launch their highly anticipated NCAA run this Saturday against No. 9 Green Bay at11 a.m. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2 and promises a matchup for the record books. Will the Tigers actually reach the Final Four and upset No. 1 Maryland? Only time will tell, but the Tigers’ phenomenal teamwork and coaching staff leave everyone optimistic, including the President.