A perfect bracket is impossible to achieve. Well, technically there is a chance, but those odds are not in your favor. In fact, your best chance at achieving the impossible – that is the perfect bracket I'm talking about – would be to fill out 120 billion brackets, thus going through every possible option, in a single year. But even then, would you have picked VCU over North Carolina? What about High Point?
Every bracket has its own challenges. That's why, based on the average number of brackets an American actually fills out, it would take them 366 years to secure a perfect score. It's just not going to happen. So, yes, while some brackets are perfect through the first weekend, they will not last. I can assure you.
How many perfect brackets are left?
ESPN revealed the two perfect brackets that were left in their system prior to games tipping off on Sunday. For those brackets to remain healthy until the Sweet 16, we need some help.
A look at the final two PERFECT brackets remaining 👀
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 22, 2026
Which one has the best chance to get every pick right? pic.twitter.com/eqepTzoQS9
The good news is these brackets are pretty much by the book. That is why they're still perfect. If you're like me – and most people, frankly – you want to pick the upset. It's why I chose McNeese to defeat Vandy, and Hofstra to take down Alabama. The Tide were missing their second-leading scorer due to drug charges! Come on, people!
There are so many threats to these brackets, I cannot even count. By the time you read this article, odds are they'll be toast. That's just how March Madness works, even as we near the Sweet 16.
Why a perfect bracket never happens in March Madness
Perfect brackets don't happen. I've said it a few times, and I'll say it again. It's my job to understand college basketball. These kids are between 18-24 (thanks to NIL). Do you remember what you were like at that age? None of us were perfect. Which is why these players are worried about so many different things at once, and why they're impossible to predict.
WE'RE DOWN TO THE LAST PERFECT BRACKET 🚨 pic.twitter.com/DsSIXqGhpK
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 22, 2026
Yes, I am oversimplifying the process, but anyone who believes they know what a 19-year-old NBA Draft prospect is thinking doesn't know unless they've been there. AJ Dybantsa could very well be the No. 1 overall pick next summer. He claims he wants to come back to school. I don't remotely believe him. How could anyone expect to pick for or against BYU, given the circumstances? Oh, by the way, they already lost. And the Cougars had the best player in the tournament. Do you see my point?
No one has ever achieved a perfect bracket. Back in 2014, Warren Buffett offered employees $1 billion if they could pick a perfect bracket, and even tried out a $1 million for life deal. That sounds like a man who knows his math. Billionaires never give up their wealth for free, people.
Biggest threats to March Madness perfect brackets
There are oh so many threats to these two brackets in particular. In this round alone, St. John's has to defeat Kansas! The Jayhawks have the likely No. 2 overall pick in Darryn Peterson. If you're unfamiliar with him, I can read his scouting report to you thanks to FanSided's Chris Kline:
"Peterson has become a singularly dominant scorer for the Jayhawks, comfortable running off screens, firing deep catch-and-shoot 3s, beating closeouts with a few slick dribble moves, and scoring with touch and a high release point (rather than pure burst) inside the arc. If he can match this prodigous perimeter scoring with his pre-college athleticism and driving ability, you're looking at one of the most complete guard scorers in recent memory. Peterson competes on defense and anyone truly questioning his desire to compete or win games is being willfully ignorant of a long track record, dating back years before he arrived at Kansas," Kline wrote.
Yeah, that guy! At least one of the perfect brackets remaining has him going down before the Sweet 16. The second bracket is almost fully reliant on Michigan – as mine is, I'll mind you – and the Wolverines have impressed so far in March Madness. But there will be plenty of threats along the way, including Iowa State and Texas Tech.