Out of 32 games, Mr. Obama has accurately predicted all but three. As of Saturday morning, he ranks at No. 16 on The Times’s bracket site, tied with many others. Mr. Obama has a total of 166 out of 195 points possible.

The success of the president’s picks may bring him attention that White House aides would rather do without. Critics of the president chastised him for spending time on college basketball — and announcing his bracket on ESPN — even as the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan and violence spread in the Middle East and north Africa.