Barack's bracket 2009

The last president may have been "the decider" but Barack takes a stand! Here are his picks for the NCAA men's tourney.

I agree with many of his picks, especially when he predicts that Syracuse will meet UNC in the fourth round, but I predict that Syracuse will pull off the upset. Syracuse will be the Cinderella team this year and go the Final Four.

I am looking for West Virginia to rock the house. The Moutaineers will pull past Kansas and Michigan State but not Louisville. It would be great but, I think Louisville will make it to the Four.

If Villanova doesn't take out Duke, in the Sweet 16, then Pittsburgh will in the Elite 8. As much as I would love to stay up till 2 in the morning screaming at the television, I look for Pitt to overtake Syracuse once again.

As for UConn, Mr. Obama picks Memphis over the Huskies in the Elite Eight. Sorry, Mr. President. I love you dearly, but no way. No way. It will be UConn vs. Louisville in the Final Four.

I'm calling for UConn and Pitt in the NCAA Final with UConn going all the way.

But, Mr. President, there is still time for you to put your money where your mouth is (for a great cause) with March Gladness. As we said on the Cafe:

Episcopal Cafe is supporting March Gladness, a clever initiative by Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation that has caught the eye of the mainstream media.

Fill out your NCAA men's basketball tournament brackets, picking the winners all the way to the national champion. (You'll need a Yahoo ID to do this. If you don't have one, it's OK, it's free, easy and zero risk -- click on "Sign Up" when you click to register) - MAKE SURE YOUR BRACKET NAME IS YOUR NAME + THE NAME OF YOUR NONPROFIT (e.g. Michael Jordan -- Nets For Life). Got your name and the name of your nonprofit? You're ready to click here.

The deadline looms in 24 hours, so fill out a bracket, and join in. Full details are available in previous posts.

I am playing for Episcopal Relief and Development. Much better than ESPN swag.