Well, there's always the approval ratings. Because the upsets and buzzer-beaters just aren't going Barack Obama's way.

The president's bracket took a precipitous plunge Friday night when two of his Sweet 16 teams were upset.

Wisconsin — one of three 12 seeds to knock off a No. 5 — needed Trevon Hughes' spinning bank shot to take down Florida State 61-59 in overtime, costing Obama one of the 16 teams he picked to reach the regional semifinals. Earlier Friday, Arizona beat Utah, and the president's home state of Illinois lost to Western Kentucky the night before.

The prognosticator-in-chief missed all three upsets. And didn't call Cleveland State's either.

Moments before Wisconsin's triumph, the Vikings were putting the finishing touches on a waxing of No. 4 seed Wake Forest — another team Obama had reaching the third round.

As if that weren't enough, No. 9 seed Siena outlasted No. 8 Ohio State in double overtime, dropping the presidential bracket all the way down to the 4.23 percentile — 4,434,808 spots off the lead in ESPN.com's contest.

To put that another way, that's more people than voted for him in any state but California.

Obama correctly predicted 19 of 32 first-round games.

The First Bracket has top-seeded Louisville, North Carolina and Pittsburgh, and No. 2 Memphis reaching the Final Four. He took the Tar Heels to win the title.

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On the Web: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/entry?entryID=2813746