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Is your go-to bracket generally a has-been within the first few games? You’re in good company; each year, fewer than 2.5 percent of brackets survive the first round. So yeah, grim statistics but there are still plenty of numbers left to crunch.
Try this one: One in 9.2 quintillion (and for reference, that comes out to exactly one in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808). Those are the odds of having a perfect set of matchups. Look at it this way: Statistically, you have a better chance of being killed by a vending machine falling from the sky. But not that much better.
And, adds an ABC affiliate in San Diego, there's a better chance of getting back together with Taylor Swift. There's a better chance of winning the Powerball twice in one year. There's even a better chance of being struck by lightning while being attacked by a mutant shark in the desert. (They said it; look it up.)
Whew. At least you’re not alone in your misery. If you want to distract your friends (who might be bragging about having an intact section of their matchups) from your bracket fail, here are some of the cool, unique and wacky numbers of March Madness.
$1.28 Billion: That’s how much the NCAA made off March Madness in 2023 (Investopedia)
$250-$300 Million: Estimated combined economic impact of activity at Glendale, Arizona’s four days of Final Four events in 2024 (Common Sense Institute Arizona).
6,500: The number of rooms reserved by the NCAA alone in Memphis hotels for the 2024 March Madness Men's Basketball Tournament. (The NCAA, which provided that number, also reserved rooms for the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.) This is outside of what was booked by spectators.
2,255: Number of miles flown by the UAB Dragons to play in Spokane, the most flyer miles in one trip of any March Madness team (BetCarolina)
1939: The first year the basketball tournament was held. (NCAA)
2020: The only year it wasn’t held (and the less said about that, the better): MARCA.
60 Million to 100 Million: The number of people in the USA who will fill out a bracket (NCAA).
Psychology: There are even scientific reasons people fill out brackets. Here they are, courtesy of BracketNinja.
$1 Million: That’s how much USA TODAY Sports offered in 2024 to any contestant who correctly filled out a perfect bracket (Forbes).
5,500: Towels used during the DII Elite Eight in 2018 (the only towel statistic we have), (NCAA).
8,000: The estimated number of Powerade cups used during the DII Elite Eight (also NCAA)
$2.7 Billion: Estimated amount legally wagered on 2025 March Madness (WalletHub)
710,000: The number, in 2024, of fans who watched the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in person (Statista).
18.87 Million vs. 14.82 Million: TV viewers for the women’s championship game in 2024, vs. the men’s game. (Ouch, guys. Also Statista)
72 percent: People who responded to a survey and noted that they planned to host watch parties for games at home (Numerator).
19 Percent: Increase in beer sales during the tournament; also 19,500 chicken wings were delivered to players in a single night by NCAA in 2021 (WalletHub)
One: The number of teams who regularly bring a nun to their games (and that would be Sister Jean, a longtime sideline supporter of Loyola University). Fun fact: Sr.Jean is 105. (NCAA)
$17 Billion+: Corporate losses due to unproductive workers during March Madness. (Thank you, WalletHub, for that incredibly depressing piece of news; WalletHub also notes that the average worker spends at least six hours following college basketball in March.)
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