All you fans who mocked Barack Obama's NCAA tournament bracket � care to pick against the president now?

North Carolina, the team Obama chose to win the championship, surged into the title game with an 83-69 win over Villanova tonight.

The Tar Heels' victory moved Obama into the top third of the 5 million-plus people who entered ESPN.com's pool.

Obama's picks were looking shaky after the first three teams he forecast to reach the Final Four � Louisville, Pittsburgh and Memphis � lost in earlier rounds. Those misses dropped the president into the bottom half of the entries.

North Carolina is the favorite Monday night when it takes on Michigan State for the championship.

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