President heading out to see big college basketball matchup _ top teams Georgetown and Duke

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Obama heading to see top college basketball teams

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama couldn’t pass up the chance to see a college basketball game between two top 10 teams.

So on a snowy Saturday, Obama joined a sellout crowd to watch seventh-ranked Georgetown take on No. 8 Duke at the Verizon Center. Obama’s personal assistant, Reggie Love, played basketball at Duke and was also attending the game.

The president shook hands with several fans as he entered the arena, and enjoyed the game from a front-row seat, not the luxury suites that top government officials sometimes prefer. Those with him included Vice President Joe Biden, White House senior adviser David Axelrod and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Through the early part of the game, the president — a Columbia University graduate — revealed no preference for either team.

Security for the game was intensified, with fans having to pass through metal detectors, cars being searched as they entered the building’s garage, and a large number of security agents in the arena.

The president, who often plays in pickup games and watches his daughters’ contests, also attended a college game on Nov. 28 not far from the White House. That matchup was between Oregon State and George Washington. Obama’s brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, is the Oregon State coach.

Duke and Georgetown are using their game to launch an initiative to raise money for children in refugee camps in the Darfur region of Sudan.