CBS News
Has anyone ever had a perfect bracket for March Madness? The odds and precedents for NCAA predictions
With the 2024 NCAA men’s tournament underway and the women’s tournament set to begin Friday, the chase for the perfect March Madness bracket has also officially begun. While anyone has a chance to get it completely right, odds are 1 in 9.2. quintillion, according to the NCAA.
In other words, as Tim Chartier, a mathematics and computer science professor at Davidson College in North Carolina, told CBS News, it’s like picking a single second in 297 billion years. “It’s very difficult,” he said.
As of Thursday afternoon, after only four games, the NCAA estimates only 11% of the men’s tournament brackets remain perfect.
Getty Images
Has anyone had a perfect bracket?
No, but a neurologist from Columbus, Ohio, named Gregg Nigl had the verified bracket closest to perfection. Back in 2019, he correctly guessed the first 49 games of the men’s tournament until then-No. 3 ranked Purdue defeated No. 2 Tennessee in the Sweet 16 – ending his bid for perfection.
He told a local newspaper he almost didn’t fill out his bracket because he was home sick hours before the deadline. His record as the longest perfect bracket continues to stand —at least for now.
Before him, someone picked 39 games to start the tournament correctly in 2017, according to the NCAA. That bid fell apart when Purdue defeated Iowa State. In the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament, it took only 25 games after No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson University took down No.1 Purdue.
What are the odds of getting a perfect March Madness bracket?
The NCAA said the odds of a perfect 63-game bracket can be as high as 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Those odds are in play if every game was a coin flip – or a fair 50/50 shot. The amount of different possible outcomes comes out to exactly 9,223,372,036,854,775,808, according to the NCAA.
However, you have a better chance of, say, you and your partner each buying one ticket for a Powerball with a billion dollar jackpot and both winning it than a single person producing a perfect bracket, Chartier, the mathematics professor, told CBS News.
Knowledge of college basketball can tip the scales a bit, as the odds of picking a perfect bracket can be as low as 1 in 128 billion, late DePaul University professor Jeff Bergen said in 2019.
Factors such as travel and injury and other random acts make the tournament hard to predict, according to Chartier. Additionally, the stakes weighing on student athletes during the tournament can’t be compared to the season.
“There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on some players that were just in high school just a few years ago,” he said. “I don’t care what happens in the season. None of it really kind of matches the dynamics and the pressure in the history that they set with what happens in the tournament.”
Will there ever be a perfect bracket?
Christopher O’Byrne, a lecturer in management information systems at San Diego State University and a college basketball fan, believes a perfect bracket could come if teams followed their “true trajectory” along their seeding positions. O’Byrne told CBS News that one could analyze seeding given out to teams and find some weaknesses there.
But he’s not optimistic a perfect bracket will ever happen in his lifetime.
“I hope I live a very long life and have many opportunities or iterations to see a perfect bracket, but I don’t have much faith,” he said.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
How to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears NFL game today: Livestream options, more
Getty Images
The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears today. The Vikings are currently 8-2, an impressive run so far this season, and will be looking to add a fourth win to their current streak after last Sunday’s 23-13 win against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears, on the other hand, are entering this game on the heels of a four-game losing streak after a tough 20-19 loss against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Vikings vs. Bears game today, whether or not you have cable.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings vs. Bears game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Fubo offers you an easy, user-friendly way to watch NFL games on CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, plus NCAA football channels. The Pro tier includes 200+ channels and unlimited DVR, while the Elite with Sports Plus tier adds NFL RedZone and 4K resolution. New subscribers get a seven-day free trial and all plans allow streaming on up to 10 screens simultaneously.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.
CBS News
How to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts NFL game today: Livestream options, more
Nic Antaya/Getty Images
The Detroit Lions will face off against the Indianapolis Colts today. The Lions enter this game as top contenders with a near-perfect record of 9-1 so far this season. The Colts, who are 5-6 this season, could have a tough game on their hands against the Lions but will be looking to rack up another win after prevailing over the New York Jets in a tight game last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Colts vs. Lions game today, whether or not you have cable.
Here’s how and when to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Lions vs. Colts game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Experience NFL action like never before with Fubo’s comprehensive sports streaming platform. From Sunday showdowns to primetime matchups, catch every NFL game across major networks including CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. Choose the Pro package to unlock 200+ channels and limitless DVR storage, or elevate your game-day experience with the Elite with Sports Plus package, featuring NFL RedZone’s commercial-free scoring highlights and stunning 4K quality.
Test drive the service with a no-commitment seven-day free trial, and share the excitement with family and friends — Fubo supports simultaneous streaming on up to 10 devices, so everyone can watch their favorite teams.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games, and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.