Neither the most wizened of scouts nor the most oval of eggheads needed this weekend to anoint the Big Ten as the best basketball conference in the country.

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But it was here in the West Wing and most likely in the Oval.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

Beyond its distinctive shape, the most famous feature of the Oval Office is the Resolute Desk.

WHITEHOUSE: West Wing Tour

Most experts agree that an open oval such as the mile-long track at Churchill Downs would present problems for riderless horses.

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John Kennedy, who according to Van Natta was the most accomplished golfer ever to occupy the Oval Office (despite chronic back problems), kept his affection for the game under wraps to create a more youthful image than that which clung to his beloved predecessor, the truly golf-besotted Dwight Eisenhower.

WSJ: Why Golf and Politics Don't Mix | Golf Journal by John Paul Newport

The most buzzed-about Olympic remnant is the Richmond Oval, which opened for public use in August and housed the Olympic speed-skating events just over a year ago.

BBC: Vancouver after the Games

Critics compared the model's most distinctive styling element, a vertical grille with a large oval in the center, to a horse collar or a car sucking a lemon.

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President Barack Obama, who broke the 20-year string of either a Bush or Clinton in the Oval Office, thanked his predecessors, noting that the "world's most exclusive club" acted more like "a support group" of former presidents who help each other.

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