First things first. If you want to win a billion dollars, all you have to do is enter the QuickLoans Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge and pick every single game correctly. OK, the odds on doing that approach 9 quadrillion-to-one, but who knows, you might just get lucky.

The contest is the brainchild of Warren Buffett and the CEO of QuickenLoans (and also owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers), Dan Gilbert.

Even if you don’t enter the contest, you still might be interested in some math to help you prune the tree of possible choices. If so, take a read of this article. Good stuff.

Remember, always pick a #1 seed to win it all. Then again, I’ve never won a bracket challenge. Ever.