The return of March Madness brings a yearly ritual as former US President Barack Obama picks his winner of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. He has picked the possible final matchups for both men and women.

For the men, he has chosen the Arizona Wildcats to beat Duke in the finals, and for the women, it’s UConn, which he believes will triumph in the finals.

With the women’s Barack Obama has chosen to go with the easy pickings. UConn is the undefeated one racking up one win after another, and Geno Auriemma’s team looks to be on course to defend their championship successfully. But with the Arizona pick, he had to make a hard choice because many teams are breathing down its neck.

Of course, the Wildcats have made a strong claim, and their recent Big 12 title win authenticates that in every manner, but still, there are quite a few teams that could ruin their party. Obama’s runner-up team, Duke on the list, can be the party crasher if that happens.Duke  ever since their loss against North Carolina has extended their win streak to 11 games.

Powered by Cameron Boozer at its helm this is one team that can flip the script on any given day. Surprisingly Duke was Obama’s last year winners picks for the men but this time around he has chosen to go against them.So is Arizona’s current dominance playing a factor in the former President’s decision.

The Wildcats Are No 1 Seed In NCAA Tournament

The reason why Barack Obama would feel that the Wildcats are going to win might be because how well they have positioned themselves in the league. The West Region’s No 1 seed are again only behind Duke in overall ratings but that doesn’t seem to bother Obama who is confident in his pick.

When you come out on top even after going through the nation’s second hardest schedule with a 32-2 record it shows the intensity that you have in you.The Wildcats have been incomparable in their own way and their accolades this season attest that –  Big 12 regular season and tournament champions, Jaden Bradley’s Big 12 Player of the Year award, Tommy Lloyd’s Big 12 Coach of the Year award, Tobe Awaka’s Big 12 Sixth Man Award and multiple first-team All-Big 12 players.

But then also history has been against them as they have found themselves being unable to go beyond the Sweet 16 stage since 2015. But now the team is determined to break free of all the invisible shackles that has been holding them back and start with a fresh clean slate.

They cannot allow past losses and mishaps to bog them down anymore. As they get ready to prepare for Long Island Arizona is getting one step closer to attaining a title that they have squandered over the last decade.

So Tommy Lloyd is understandably cautiious in his approach because he knows the upcoming games will get tougher. Playing each game one game at a time is a sentiment that Lloyd has instilled in the team, and if they want to push the boundary of early tournament exits, it’s a sentiment they’ll have to continue to follow.

For the record Barack Obama missed out on his last year’s final winners prediction, hopefully this time he will get it right. Obama surely will be scanning Geno Auriemma and Tommy Lloyd from now on and counting on them to prove him right.