March Madness 2017: Donald Trump, Mike Pence Could Attend NCAA Tournament Games

President Donald Trump might not have filled out a bracket for March Madness 2017, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t paying attention to the NCAA Tournament. A new report indicates there’s at least a chance that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence could attend some of the games in person.

According to Brad Broders of Local 24 News in Memphis, staff for both the President and Vice President have looked into staying in the city for the upcoming games in the South region. North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA and Butler will compete in the Sweet 16 at the FedExForum Friday night. The two winners will meet at the same venue in the Elite Eight Sunday, and that winner will advance to the Final Four.

READ: Predictions against the spread for every Sweet 16 game

Trump was just recently in Tennessee, holding a rally in Nashville on March 15. He was in Louisville, Kentucky for a rally Monday night.

According to WMAC Action News 5 in Memphis, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office is preparing for a visit from Pence. Pence’s wife, Karen, graduated from Butler University, and the Bulldogs are set to face North Carolina in Friday night’s Sweet 16 matchup.

Trump did not fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket, or at least not one that was shared with the public, as President Barack Obama did during his time in office. Obama did so on ESPN each March, and Trump declined the network’s invitation this year.

If Trump was to attend any of the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight games, the South region would make the most sense. It’s easily the region with the biggest names, featuring arguably the three best programs in college basketball history. UCLA vs. Kentucky is the most anticipated game of the tournament, thus far, and UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball is March Madness’ top NBA prospect.

Even if the White House isn’t represented in Memphis, it will still be a hectic week for the city. The general manager of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis told Broders that it would probably be the third busiest weekend of 2017.