Barack-atology: President Obama Makes His NCAA Predictions

President Barack Obama either forgot what he said during a recent visit to Cedar Falls or he's had a change of heart regarding the UNI men's basketball team.

The Panthers (30-3) begin their quest for a national championship when they face Wyoming at 12:40 p.m. (Iowa time) on Friday at Key Arena in Seattle, Wash. UNI is the No. 5 seed in the East Region, while the Cowboys are seeded 12th.

On Wednesday, Obama filled out his official tournament bracket and unveiled his picks during an interview broadcast on ESPN. He chose Wyoming to upset UNI in the second-round.

During a stop at Cedar Falls Utilities on Jan. 14, Obama opened his speech by giving a shout out to UNI's top 25-ranked basketball team. He then said, “I think most folks learned a few years ago that when March rolls around, you do not bet against UNI.”

In the 2010, the ninth-seeded Panthers opened the NCAA Tournament with a last-second win over eighth-seeded UNLV in Oklahoma City. Then, they shocked the No. 1 overall seed Kansas on their way to the “Sweet 16”.

UNI is back in the tournament for the first time since that upset victory over the Jayhawks, with the highest seed in school history. Many basketball junkies believe the Panthers can make a deep run in this year's tournament, but the President thinks their season will end on Friday.

President Obama also believes Iowa's season will end in Seattle, too. He has picked 10th-seeded Davidson (24-7) to beat the seventh-seeded Hawkeyes (21-11) in the South Region on Friday night.

The Commander-In-Chief's prediction for Iowa State? Well, he believes the Cyclones (25-8) are good enough to get to the Elite Eight in the South Region. Obama has picked Iowa State to beat second-round opponent UAB (19-15), SMU and Davidson, before losing to Duke.

Obama is predicting that Kentucky will remain undefeated and win the NCAA Tournament title. He picked the Wildcats to beat Villanova in the championship game on April 6 in Indianapolis. The President's other Final Four selections are Arizona and Duke.