It’s good to be the champs. Coach K and company were honored by the President this morning in the Rose Garden.

Obama took heat from many a Duke fan after picking the Devils to fall to Villanova in the Elite Eight in this year’s tournament. (Not to mention the fact that he correctly predicted that those other guys would win it all in 2009.) Nevertheless, Obama was quick to apologize to Coach K and the team.

Now, I know that all of you remember last year, when I filled out my bracket — I picked North Carolina to win it all.  It wasn’t anything personal.  Just trying to win some money.  I was right.  Coach K wasn’t too happy.  He basically told me to stick it.  Or stick to my day job, is what he said.

And then, this year, he went out with all these guys and he won, so he could come to the White House and crow about it.  (Laughter.)  Payback is sweet, isn’t it, Coach?  Congratulations on your fourth National Championship at Duke.

The President praised Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler for being the most productive trio in the NCAA this year. Obama referred to himself as the “second most famous person to ever show up in Medford”—Kyle’s hometown. The President also cited Brian Zoubek’s beard as an integral part of Duke’s championship run.

It’s a great day for Duke—the team, the program, and the school. We all should be so proud of what this team was able to accomplish this past year. You can check out video from the White House below.