SH Blog: Obama picks IU to win Title; Kentucky’s nightmare season over, loses in NIT

With NCAA Tournament action finally underway, two important stories have surfaced today encompassing the highs and lows of this hectic college basketball season.

President Barack Obama, who has never been shy about his fascination with the NCAA tournament, released his annual bracket this morning. Obama went mostly “chalk” in the first round, staying away from a bracket filled with upsets. His two upsets of note, No. 11 seed Minnesota over No. 6 UCLA, and No. 11 Belmont over No. 6 Arizona.

The President is moving forward with a Final Four that will see a clash between the Big East and Big Ten tournament champions, the No. 1 seed Louisville Cardinals and the No. 2 seed Ohio State Buckeyes. 

On the other side of the bracket Obama goes with the SEC and Big Ten regular season champions, the No. 3 seed Florida Gators and the No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers.

As John Calipari’s worst nightmare becomes reality, Obama believes the midwest will reign supreme, as the Cardinals and Hoosiers will clash in Obama’s National Championship game in Atlanta. The President believes the preseason No. 1 team in the country, the Indiana Hoosiers, will cut down the nets when it’s all said in done.

Somewhere outside of Robert Morris, John Calipari is shaking his head.

This brings us to our second noteworthy NCAA story of the day.

Last years national champions, the Kentucky Wildcats, have officially been eliminated from the NIT as they fell at Robert Morris 59-57. After a run for the ages last year, a two loss season culminating in a national title, Calipari and his superteam have fallen on hard times.

The Wildcats struggled from the start, but really lost their way after their star center, Nerlens Noel, went down with an ACL injury. Kentucky lost six of its last 10 games, and will begin the rebuilding process again after Noel, Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress likely declare for the NBA Draft this summer.

It’s only fitting that Calipari, who declined to renew a home-and-home series with this seasons title favorites and Kentucky’s long-time rival, the Indiana Hoosiers, for more glitzy big money games in neutral site football arenas is ending his season in the gym of a mid-major, Robert Mooris, which holds a maximum capacity of 3,400.

NCAA Tournament Five Facts Index

Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitterhere.