When it comes to March Madness, Senate candidate and UW grad Eric Hovde is a Purdue man

MADISON – He's running to represent Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate, but when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, Eric Hovde is going all in on… Purdue.

The Republican businessman posted his March Madness picks on X as the tournament began on Thursday — and despite wearing a Badgers pullover, selected the Boilermakers to win the championship.

"At the end of the day Purdue is too tough and will cut down the nets in Phoenix. The Badgers and Marquette make good runs too," Hovde wrote.

Hovde's bracket has No. 1 seed Purdue defeating the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats to win it all, with No. 5 Wisconsin getting bounced by No. 1 Houston in the Sweet 16. The No. 2 Marquette Golden Eagles fare much better, losing to Purdue in the Final Four.

Marquette hasn't played in a Sweet 16 game since 2013 but has been ranked in the top 10 for most of the season. The team faces Western Kentucky at 1 p.m. Friday.

Wisconsin — where Hovde attended college and his opponent, incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, attended law school — faces No. 12 James Madison at 8:40 p.m. Friday. The Badgers had a rough February but have won three of their last four games, including an overtime victory over Purdue in the Big Ten tournament.

Hovde's March Madness pick comes as Democrats continue to zero in on his California-based businesses — H Bancorp and its primary subsidiary, Sunwest Bank — and his 2018 purchase of a hillside estate in Laguna Beach to paint him as a candidate who's out of touch with Wisconsin.

Baldwin, who is seeking a third Senate term, is cheering for Wisconsin and Marquette — but did not share a bracket.

"Tammy Baldwin never doubts the people of Wisconsin. She'll be cheering on Wisconsin and Marquette to meet in the Elite 8 and the winner of that game to cut down the nets in Arizona," campaign spokesman Andrew Mamo said.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, also a UW alum, is also predicting a Wisconsin-Marquette matchup in the Elite 8 — but he's got the Badgers advancing all the way to the championship to defeat the No. 1 UConn Huskies.

Asked about the pick, Hovde campaign spokesman Ben Voelkel chalked it up to pragmatism. He also noted that Hovde is in a pool with the Wisconsin Young Republicans and will give away an autographed shirt to the winner.

"Eric Hovde isn't a career politician that panders. He's a basketball fan," Voelkel said. "Purdue is one of the best teams in the country and if they get the kind of calls they did in the Big Ten Tournament the Boilermakers have a great chance to win."

Jessie Opoien can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin grad Eric Hovde is all in on Purdue in his NCAA bracket