breaking news!! .... President Obama announces Final Four picks for NCAA tournament

Obama predicted number one seeds -- Duke, Kansas, Ohio State and Pittsburgh for the men's tournament.

It is the third straight year the commander-in-chief has filled out a bracket with the sports channel, and the second year he has done so for the women's tournament.

For that one he has placed Baylor, UConn, Stanford and Tennessee.

So how's the president's March Madness accuracy? In 2009 he accurately picked North Carolina as the winner, but last year selected Kansas when Duke ended up the champ.

Critics have charged the president shouldn't be spending so much time on sports, like playing golf or filling out the bracket in a time of international crisis -- with Japan's earthquake aftermath and the situation in Libya intensifying.

White House Communicatios Director Dan Pfeiffer sent a tweet noting he had a message about more than just basketball. "POTUS filled out his bracket with @ESPNAndyKatz. Used it as a chance to encourage people to visit USAID.gov to help people in #japan," the tweet said.

The president is an avid basketball player and fan and often spends his free time on the weekends hitting the court.

Obama's special assistant and personal aide, Reggie Love, is a frequent basketball partner for the president and also a former Duke player.

The president also often plays with his daughter Sasha and her friends and even filled-in as a coach for her team.