Obama’s Final Four picks have a swing-state feel

President Obama’s Final Four picks have a distinctly swing-state flavor to them in this election year.

The nation’s biggest college hoops fan filled out his NCAA brackets Tuesday at the White House for segments set to air on ESPN later Tuesday and Wednesday. The sports network revealed only his Final Four selections thus far, with the full brackets to be unveiled Wednesday.

The president chose Kentucky, Ohio State, Missouri and North Carolina to reach the semifinal round in New Orleans, the latter three being teams in states that are likely November battlegrounds.

Kentucky and North Carolina are both top seeds in the South and Midwest brackets, respectively. Missouri and Ohio State are No. 2 seeds in the West and East brackets, respectively.

To advance to the Final Four, that means Obama has chosen Ohio State to beat the 15th-seeded Loyola University Greyhounds in the second-round game in Pittsburgh.

This is the fourth consecutive year Obama has filled out his men’s bracket for ESPN cameras. He’s also filled out the women’s bracket for the third straight year, and has Baylor, St. John’s, UConn and Notre Dame making the Final Four.

This year Obama is sharing his love of college hoops with the head of government of the nation’s chief foreign ally. He and British Prime Minister David Cameron are scheduled to travel to Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday night to watch the “First Four” matchup between Mississippi Valley State and Western Kentucky.

The two will be interviewed at halftime during the TruTV broadcast.

Obama’s Final Four picks have a swing-state feel