LINCOLN PARK — It would be more likely for the Cubs or White Sox to win the next 16 straight World Series than to pick a perfect NCAA tournament bracket.
That work of mathematical genius was calculated by DePaul University mathematics professor Jeff Bergen.
The odds of picking a perfect NCAA tourney bracket are more than 1 in 9.2 quintillion (9,223,372,036,854,775,808)
While those odds assume one has no knowledge of basketball, even someone knowing NCAA tournament history — such as no men's 16 seed has ever beaten a top seed — would be a long shot at about 1 in 128 billion, Bergen said.
“It would be easier to win the Mega Millions lottery two times in a row buying one ticket both times than it would be to get a perfect bracket,” Bergen said. “Getting a perfect bracket is also the mathematical equivalent of picking the winning party of each presidential election through 2264.”
Putting some skin in the game may be the only way to keep things interesting for Illinois residents, as the only in-state team with a shot at making the tournament with an at-large bid, Illinois, is sitting on the bubble.
Other in-state teams such as DePaul, UIC, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois and Illinois State could make the NCAAs if they win their conference tournaments.
Selection Sunday is March 15.
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