Joe Biden at Final Four: 'Those cheerleaders are athletes, man'

HOUSTON — Vice president Joe Biden came away from the Final Four on Saturday night saying he was impressed — and not just with the basketball.

“Those cheerleaders are athletes, man," Biden told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday night.

On the walk from his courtside seats inside NRG Stadium to an awaiting motorcade, Biden stopped and spent about 10 minutes talking to North Carolina’s cheerleaders.

“Those kids are athletes. That’s what I was telling them," Biden said. “It’s one thing to dunk it. It’s another thing to be 12 feet off the floor and being flipped."

Biden was in good spirits even though North Carolina beat Syracuse, where he graduated from law school. Biden’s wife, Jill, is a graduate of Villanova, which beat Oklahoma on Saturday in the first semifinal.

When North Carolina plays Villanova in the championship game Monday night, Biden said, he’ll be pulling for Villanova.

“If I don’t, I’ll sleep alone," he said