Alabama didn't vote for Bill Clinton, but former president has Tide atop his NCAA Tournament bracket
It doesn't seem like former President Bill Clinton has any bad blood over losing the state of Alabama during his runs for the White House.
At least not when you look at his bracket for the NCAA Tournament, set to begin on Friday for No. 2 seed Alabama (25-8) against No. 15 seed Robert Morris.
Showing his roots, Clinton elected four SEC teams to make the Final Four, which will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 5.
In an interview with Clinton shared by Hoops HQ on Wednesday, the Hope, AR native picked the Crimson Tide to win what would be a historic national championship for the program. The fact that President George H.W. Bush carried Alabama in 1992 before Bob Dole in 1996 didn't outweigh his love for college basketball and sheer talent.
“It’s because they’ve got so many different good players,” Clinton said of Alabama. He noted Nate Oats and company "have a hard time sorting it out sometimes," and he wouldn't even be surprised if UA didn't make it past the Sweet Sixteen.
"But if they play like they’re capable of playing, I think they’ve got the most talent," Clinton continued.
Alongside Alabama in Clinton's last four teams standing were Tennessee, Auburn and Florida. Alas, he anticipated that some dark horse or Cinderella is bound to bust his bracket.
Clinton predicts that St. John's will down Arkansas in the second-round for the West Region. As for the East Region, he picked No. 11 seed VCU to upset 6-seed BYU, but he wouldn't be surprised if No. 1 seed Duke and stud forward freshman Cooper Flagg ruin it all.
“I think Duke’s the only one that could upset this apple cart,” Clinton told Hoops HQ's Seth Davis. He was surprised Duke claimed the 2025 ACC Tournament championship, but finds that the Blue Devils "appreciate their other players more now" after Flagg's injury scare.
“Flagg is just a game breaker. You’ve got all these other players who play their parts and can step up one game after another. But Flagg is almost unstoppable when he gets it going," Clinton said.
Alabama didn't vote for Bill Clinton, but former president has Tide atop his NCAA Tournament bracket
Should Duke defeat No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's in the first round, then the winner of No. 8 seed Mississippi State and No. 9 seed Baylor. In the Sweet 16, the Blue Devils could meet 5-seed Oregon, 12-seed Liberty, 4-seed Arizona or 13-seed Akron.
If Alabama makes its way through Robert Morris in the first round, the winner of No. 7 seed Saint Mary's and No. 10 seed Vanderbilt, it could meet BYU (24-9), VCU (28-6), No. 3 seed Wisconsin or No. 14 seed Montana with an appearance in the Sweet 16.
And after a draw that should benefit Grant Nelson's legs and the knee injury he suffered against Florida in the SEC Touranment, Alabama potentially gets Duke in the Elite Eight.
Clinton foresees that Alabama will beat Robert Morris (26-8), Saint Mary's (28-5) and Wisconsin (26-9) before the Crimson Tide claims a win over the Blue Devils in Newark.
After the Final Four, Clinton doesn't expect another rivalry matchup for Alabama. He has Auburn beating Michigan State in the Elite Eight, but falling to Florida in national semifinals.
As for Alabama, Clinton expects revenge over Tennessee in the Final Four before the Crimson Tide meets the Gators for the third time in the 2024-25 season.
“If Obama beats me in this,” he said, “I’ll never heard the end of it.”
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama didn't vote for Bill Clinton, but former president has Tide atop his NCAA Tournament bracket
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