No one has ever filled out a perfect March Madness bracket with 100% accuracy for all 63 games. The odds of achieving a perfect bracket are astronomically low—estimated at about one in 9.2 quintillion. Despite the impossible odds, many fans try every year, and some have come close. The closest verified bracket was by Gregg Nigl in 2019, who correctly predicted the winners of the first 49 games before the bracket was finally busted. Since then, no one has surpassed that level of accuracy or completed a perfect bracket.
Record for the Longest Perfect Streak
- Gregg Nigl’s 2019 bracket holds the record for the longest verified perfect streak, lasting through the Sweet 16 (49 games correct).
- In 2017, the longest perfect streak before Nigl’s was 39 games.
- Other years have seen brackets last into the 20s or 30s in terms of correct picks, but none have ever survived all rounds.
Why a Perfect Bracket Is So Difficult
- The tournament has 63 games with many potential upsets.
- The mathematical odds of guessing all outcomes correctly by random chance are one in 9.2 quintillion.
- Even knowledgeable basketball experts find it near impossible to predict every upset and outcome perfectly due to the tournament’s unpredictability.
In summary, the perfect March Madness bracket remains an elusive myth , with no verified instances in recorded NCAA history, although some individuals have made remarkable runs close to perfection.
