Did Barack Obama base his NCAA basketball bracket picks on hoops knowledge or political calculus? One blogger’s statistical analysis says the latter:

Was Obama more inclined to select teams from swing states that were closer in last November’s election? A bit of reverse engineering of his bracket suggests that the answer is a qualified yes.

There are 63 games in the men’s tournament. In one case, two teams from the same state (Louisville and Morehead State, both from Kentucky) are set to square off. In the other 62 games, Obama has the team from the state which was closer in the November election advancing 35 times (56% of the total).