NC State’s Cat Barber scored 13 points to help defeat the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday night. He told off the president of the United States on national television as an encore.
“What the f— is wrong with Barack Obama?” Barber asked his teammates in the locker room, who quickly smiled, cheered, and jumped.
The president picked #1 seed Villanova to defeat #8 seed NC State and ultimately play in the national championship game against Kentucky. His pick of Georgetown over Utah also fell short on Saturday. With favorites faring well after an initial rocky start, the higher-seeded heavy presidential bracket otherwise fares fairly well heading into the Sweet Sixteen.
The basketballer-in-chief, despite his preference for one- and two-seeds, also told an ESPN audience on Wednesday, “It’s nice being just a lttle bit of the underdog because you have less pressure on you.”
Perhaps the weight of his office put a little too much pressure on Villanova, the first one seed to fall. Coach Jay Wright called Obama a “smart guy” after hearing his predictions of an all-Wildcats final. Wright said the presidential endorsement, albeit one that ultimately saw Villanova losing to Kentucky in the national title game, “flattered” him.
NC State surely didn’t buy into the presidential praise of their opponents. Barber certainly appeared as though he viewed the president’s snub as motivation. After making his profane remark, the 20-year-old guard tweeted, “Good team win tonight and Yall know I loveeee Obama HONEST!!”
The Wolfpack advances to the Sweet Sixteen with the 71-68 win. They play the Louisville-Northern Iowa winner.
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