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President Obama gave an interview to ESPN as part of the unveiling of his picks for the N.C.A.A. men's basketball tournament. In the interview he called for the N.C.A.A. to change the rules of the game by shortening the shot clock to 30 seconds from the current 35, as well as to move back the three-point line, which would allow perimeter players to drive inside more easily. The president said his preferred changes would make the college game more like that of the National Basketball Association (N.B.A.).
"The fact of the matter is I like how basketball is going in the N.B.A. because it's fluid," he said. "What [Spurs coach] Gregg Popovich did with San Antonio I think is being replicated now with Atlanta and Golden State, and you're seeing a lot of teams move in that direction. I'd like to see college basketball get back to that. It's a fast game -- let's get it down to 30 seconds at minimum."
Obama's bracket had the undefeated University of Kentucky team going all the way and beating Villanova University in the final. He picked the University of Arizona and Duke University to join those two teams in the Final Four.
