It’s March, and that means it’s college basketball season. Every year, thousands of people across the U.S. come together with friends and coworkers to see who can put together the best college basketball bracket (often with some kind of prize on the line).
We’ve got some interesting news for you that might help lift your spirits if your bracket isn’t doing as well as you’d hoped. Achieving a perfect bracket isn’t easy; in fact, you’re much more likely to get struck by lightning while playing on your backyard home basketball court than you are to get a perfect bracket. Filling out a college basketball bracket with 100 percent randomness will give you a 1 in 9.2 quintillion chance of getting every matchup correct. The chances of getting struck by lightning every year, on the other hand, are 1 in 700,000.
Getting a perfect bracket might be a long shot — but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. Let’s look at a few fun statistics regarding 10 things that might happen before you achieve a 100-percent perfect bracket.
Becoming President of the United States of America
Assuming you were born in the United States, you have a 1 in 10 million chance of becoming President one day.
Being Born with an Extra Finger or Toe
Compared to getting that perfect bracket, being born with extra digits is extremely common — at 1 in 500.
Dying Due to a Falling Vending Machine
Don’t go kicking that money-stealing vending machine — it might come back to haunt you. The odds of dying due to wayward vending machine are approximately 1 in 112 million.
Making 8 Half-Court Shots in a Row
A good excuse to get back out on the home basketball court — the odds of making eight half-court shots in a row for the average player is about 1 in 39 trillion.
Getting Attacked by a Shark
Look out for that great white — the chances of getting attacked by a shark in the U.S. are about 1 in 11.5 million.
Winning the Mega Millions Jackpot
Remember that huge Powerball jackpot? Turns out you’re way more likely to win the lottery than you are to get a perfect bracket; the odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 258 million.
Becoming a Professional Basketball Player
You might want to revisit those basketball drills on the backyard court at home; the odds of going pro right after high school are 1 in 10,000 — and the odds of getting drafted into the NBA right out of college are 1 in 75.
Guessing Someone’s 9-Character Password on the First Try
Leave hacking to the professionals. The chances of guessing someone’s random password on the first try are 1 in 14 quadrillion (assuming he/she didn’t choose the word ‘password’).
The Yellowstone Caldera Erupting This Year
Look out, Wyoming — the chances of Yellowstone’s famous ‘supervolcano’ erupting each year are about 1 in 730,000.
Getting Hit by a Meteorite
The odds of getting hit by a meteorite are about 1 in 250,000 — so maybe keep an eye on the sky when you’re playing outside on the home basketball court.