University of North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams is more popular among state voters than Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, according to politically irrelevant but still interesting polls conducted by Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling.

The firm did a poll on the statewide popularity of Williams last month and found that 61 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the coach, who led his team to a national championship earlier this year.

Perhaps to take a break from running hypothetical candidates against Sen. Richard Burr, PPP asked a similar question about Coach K. The result: 52 percent of voters have a favorable opinion. PPP's Tom Jensen also concludes that fans for each school don't hate the other side as much as you might think.

While 68% of Duke fans last month said they had a favorable opinion of Williams, only 53% of Carolina fans say they view Krzyzewski positively. Among State fans 60% had a favorable opinion of Williams, while 51% have one of Krzyzewski. And among supporters of the Demon Deacons 59% like Roy and 53% like Coach K.

Of course the numbers may just serve to make some politicians jealous.

Tar Heels' Basketball Coach Roy Williams with the president

AP photo 

President Barack Obama got the Number One UNC basketball jersey but what he really wanted from the Tar Heels, he said, was a jump shot.

The president welcomed the NCAA champion Tar Heels to the South Lawn of the White House today, reports James Rosen of McClatchy Newspapers.

Obama, a fervent basketball fan who grew up playing hoops in Hawaii, told his visitors they'd all done pretty well since he famously scrimmaged with them during a North Carolina campaign stop in April 2008.

"I'm not sure whose luck rubbed off on who - there was some good vibe there - because they're now the national champions and I'm now the president," Obama said.

Obama thanked the Tar Heels, who waltzed through the NCAA Tournament this year, "for salvaging my bracket and vindicating me."

Obama filled out his March Madness brackets on live TV, picking UNC to win it all.

When presented with the Tar Heel jersey, Obama crowed, "That's what I'm talking about!"

President Obama called Coach Roy Williams last night.

On board Air Force One, the president phoned the UNC-Chapel Hill men's basketball coach to congratulate him on the team's win over Michigan State in the NCAA championship.

"The President offered Coach Williams his congratulations and thanked him and his team for vindicating him in front of the entire country," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs in a statement.

Obama had picked Carolina to win in his NCAA bracket. He also played a pickup game with the team during last year's primary.

"The President told him he’d done a great job and asked the Coach to tell the players how proud he was of them and that he looked forward to seeing them at the White House soon," Gibbs added.

No word on what Gibbs, an N.C. State grad, thought of the game.

UNC-Chapel Hill will not face sanctions over a pickup game Tuesday.

The men's basketball team played with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in violation of a rule that coaches are not allowed to watch pickup games during the offseason.

Division I basketball teams are also prohibited from any mandatory athletically related offseason activities through final exams, which began Monday.

A team spokesman said Coach Roy Williams knew he wasn't supposed to be at the Smith Center practice gym under the letter of the NCAA rules, but that these were "extraordinary circumstances," and he wanted to make sure everything was OK.

This was a unique situation and not an NCAA issue," NCAA media relations director Erik Christianson said in an e-mail. "It certainly was a great opportunity for the student-athletes to interact with a presidential candidate." (N&O)

Barack Obama turned on a full-court press today.

The Democratic presidential candidate scrimmaged with the UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels at the Dean Smith Center in an early-morning workout, Anne Blythe reports.

In black sweat pants and a gray T-shirt, Obama took on Tyler Hansbrough, but he missed.

"I thought I had one over the national player of the year," the candidate said. 

Obama kept up with the run-and-gun pace for at least five minutes before benching himself. When he got back in the game, UNC coach Roy Williams, who was watching from a chair on the sidelines, called out: "You've got the future president of the United States wide open."

Obama also toured the locker room with Williams and Williams' wife. 

Colin Powell is coming to Raleigh.

The retired Army general and former secretary of state will be at the Raleigh Lions Clinic for the Blind Thursday afternoon.

The clinic manufactures items for the U.S. Army, including rifle straps, duffel bags and until recently, military uniforms.

Powell is in town for a motivational speech at the Get Motivated Seminar with Forbes CEO Steve Forbes, UNC-Chapel Hill coach Roy Williams and former Microsoft COO Rick Belluzzo. Some of the other guests will speak via satellite hookup.

He is stopping by the clinic at the request of retired Army Col. Al Lanier, a Lions Club member and vice chancellor emeritus at N.C. State.

The visit is closed to the public.