SERVING MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL / MINNESOTA
Donate Now Sustaining Member

MinnPost thanks these major sponsors:




Sponsor of
Second Opinion


Sponsor of
Community Sketchbook


Our major advertisers


Our in-kind partners

Search Engine Marketing

MinnPost thanks these generous donors:

INDIVIDUALS AND FOUNDATI0NS
Blandin Foundation
Otto Bremer Foundation
Bush Foundation
Sage & John Cowles
David & Vicki Cox
Toby & Mae Dayton
Jack & Claire Dempsey
Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
Sam & Stacey Heins
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Joel & Laurie Kramer
Lee Lynch & Terry Saario
Martin & Brown Foundation
The McKnight Foundation
The Minneapolis Foundation
The Saint Paul Foundation
Rebecca & Mark Shavlik

(See all donors here.)

D.C. Dispatches by Derek Wallbank

  • Switch to Small Text Size
  • Switch to Medium Text Size
  • Switch to Large Text Size
Email Print Submit a Comment

    Obama's bracket: Kansas to win, Minn. out in first round

    By Derek Wallbank | Published Wed, Mar 17 2010 12:10 pm

    WASHINGTON — And now for something completely different.

    President Obama correctly picked North Carolina to win the NCAA men's basketball tournament last year, though Tubby Smith will no doubt be hoping the president is somewhat less clairvoyant after his first full year in office.

    Obama's NCAA men's bracket was released today and the president picked the Minnesota Golden Gophers to lose to Xavier in the first round of the tournament. His champion this time around? The top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, whom Obama predicts will oust Kentucky in the championship game. 

    Obama took a light ribbing last year for seeming to favor schools from swing states, though his Final Four this year features three schools from decidedly red states (Kansas, Kentucky, Kansas State) and just one from a purple state (Villanova, in Pennsylvania).

    For the record, this reporter has somewhat more faith in the Gophers (having watched them live at the Barn earlier this year when they almost beat my alma mater, Michigan State). I've got Tubby's team advancing past Xavier, but losing to Pittsburgh in the second round.

    Washington Bureau | Wed, Mar 17 2010 12:10 pm | Comment

    Like what you just read? Support high-quality journalism in Minnesota by becoming a member of MinnPost.

    Advertisement:

    0 Comments:

    E-mail address

    Password

     

    Forgot Password? | Register to Comment

    MinnPost does not permit the use of foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that may be libelous or interpreted as inciting hate or sexual harassment. User comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure that comments meet these standards and adhere to MinnPost's terms of use and privacy policy.

    We intend for this area to be used by our readers as a place for civil, thought-provoking and high-quality public discussion. In order to achieve this, MinnPost requires that all commenters register and post comments with their actual names and place of residence. Register here to comment.

    Illustration by Hugh Bennewitz

    minnpost.com/derekwallbank


    Derek Wallbank is MinnPost's Washington, D.C., correspondent, covering Minnesota's congressional delegation and reporting on developments out of Washington that are important to Minnesota readers. After graduating from Michigan State University, he covered Michigan politics for the Gongwer News Service, a publication aimed at political insiders. Later he became a reporter for the Lansing State Journal, writing about education and politics and founding the Journal's respected politics blog. Most recently he was a researcher and reporter with Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at dwallbank[at]minnpost[dot]com.

    More dispatches by Derek Wallbank