ARIZONA NEWS

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton chooses N. Carolina to win in March Madness bracket

Mar 16, 2016, 7:23 PM | Updated: Mar 17, 2016, 8:22 am

Follow @KTAR923...

PHOENIX — It’s that time of year again: March Madness time.

Just like usual, Arizona officials are taking part in the annual tradition of predicting which college basketball teams will make it to the Final Four — and which won’t.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton was the latest Arizona political figure to catch the fever. He tweeted out his official March Madness bracket on Wednesday.

Yup, that’s right: The Phoenix native has chosen the North Carolina Tar Heels to win it all.

While not the favorite to win — Kansas has pretty much dominated that title — North Carolina has a 7:1 chance of winning the National Championship after its 28-6 season, according to CBS Sports.

Stanton isn’t the only official with a stake in the tournament: President Obama released his official bracket on Wednesday after being called out on his bad bracket picks last year by an 11-year-old girl named Emilia.

Emilia wrote in a letter to the president that he is a “great president, just not the best bracket picker” and said that she beat him in last year’s March Madness.

Men's Bracket

In the 2015 NCAA tournament, Obama picked Arizona, Duke, Kentucky and Villanova to head to the Final Four. This time around, the president gave a call to the bracket expert herself to get her take on what he should pick.

This year, Obama has Kansas taking the top spot, with Texas A&M, Michigan State and UNC rounding out the Final Four.

Stanton and Obama are not alone: KTAR’s own Mac & Gaydos and the Arizona Morning News hosts Jayme West and Jim Sharpe are also going head-to-head in the March Madness face-off.

Jayme and Jim agreed with Obama, pitting Kansas to win the top spot, while Mac & Gaydos stayed local and bet on Arizona.

You definitely want to keep track of his match: the loser has to do an hour of their show with a Burmese Python. No big deal.

Good luck, everyone!

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

Split-panel image with a photo of Chris Greicius, the 7-year-old boy who inspired the creation of M...

Kevin Stone

Make-A-Wish getting replacement for inspirational statue stolen from Phoenix headquarters

Make-A-Wish is getting a replacement for the cherished statue that was stolen from the non-profit group’s Phoenix headquarters last year.

26 minutes ago

2015 K&A Kisidiaris Trust bought Glendale retail center Avenue at Olive Park for $5.5 million...

Bailey Leasure

Retail center near Glendale Community College sells for $5.5 million

2015 K&A Kisidiaris Trust buys Glendale Avenue at Olive Park, a three-acre retail center near Glendale Community College for $5.5 million.

36 minutes ago

Volleyball will take place on Friday but will take place at Avondale's American Sports Center. (Spe...

David Veenstra

Glendale high school hosting Special Olympics Arizona Summer Games this weekend

Special Olympics Arizona's Summer Games are returning this weekend. More than 1,500 athletes will make their way to Glendale to compete.

46 minutes ago

Frutilandia Taqueria Factory dual location opening in Mesa...

Serena O'Sullivan

Frutilandia and Taqueria Factory opening dual-concept restaurant location in Mesa

A dual location of Frutilandia and Taqueria Factory is opening in Mesa next weekend. Giveaways and food promotions will accompany the event.

56 minutes ago

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers holds the supersized scissors at the ribbon cutting at Glendale's newly...

Damon Allred

Glendale officials cut ribbon at newly renovated city court

Glendale officials welcomed a newly updated courthouse, as city leaders cut the ribbon at the public service building.

9 hours ago

indicted in fake elector scheme Arizona Republicans...

KTAR.com

State grand jury indicts 11 Arizona Republicans in fake elector investigation

Eleven defendants were indicted in a fake elector scheme on Wednesday, according to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.

11 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Desert Institute for Spine Care is the place for weekend warriors to fix their back pain

Spring has sprung and nothing is better than March in Arizona. The temperatures are perfect and with the beautiful weather, Arizona has become a hotbed for hikers, runners, golfers, pickleball players and all types of weekend warriors.

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University Clinics: transforming health care in the valley

Midwestern University, long a fixture of comprehensive health care education in the West Valley, is also a recognized leader in community health care.

(KTAR News Graphic)...

Boys & Girls Clubs

KTAR launches online holiday auction benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

KTAR is teaming up with The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley for a holiday auction benefitting thousands of Valley kids.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton chooses N. Carolina to win in March Madness bracket