MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA—With only two perfect brackets left in the 2019 NCAA bracket competition, throngs of excited fanatics worldwide are rallying behind the figures responsible for these prophetic predictions. One of these, a machine designated as Random Number Generator #3954, is no stranger to accuracy in the bracket competition; this assembly of wires and circuits has won first place in the competition on five previous occasions and finished in the top ten for each of the last eleven years.
RNG #3954 has chosen a relatively simple method in selecting winners for the tournament: it generates a list of random numbers, assigning one to each game of the tournament. If the number is odd, then the game will result in an upset. If the number is even, then the higher seed will win. In games where the teams have the same seed, the one with the better season average is considered the higher seed for the sake of calculation. While this method is not without its flaws, its efficacy and simplicity have propelled its creator to the greatest heights of the world of sports analytics.
One of the secrets to its success is that RNG #3954 is not afraid of making bold predictions in its brackets; it guesses upsets exactly as often as expected outcomes. While its unconventional strategies have led to high successes, there have also been many low-scoring brackets in RNG #3954's career, including a dozen with 0% accuracy.
While predicting the victors in college basketball tournaments is a meaningful pastime for RNG #3954, it has made a career out of providing numbers for computer programs utilizing random data, including statistical research, actuarial modeling, and even video game development. Known as a "team player" and "real numbers guy," RNG #3954 has earned a reputation for spontaneity and perseverance.
"54158, 65927, 02841, 52607, 98930, 58740, 05477, 21128, 76549, 65423, 08652, 94453, 22523, 31531, 65184, 09585, 84844, 34856, 91269, 02580, 94381, 18156, 21568, 64828, 32786," remarks RNG #3954 regarding its success. "63596, 32975, 78981, 48250, 16591, 66256, 93864, 52777, 74597, 00235, 80143, 09710."
"I know that Orangey – that's what we call him around the office – takes his work real seriously," remarks Dale Lindblom, RNG #3954's supervisor. "He puts a lot of thought into the numbers he spits out, especially the ones for March Madness. Usually he'll produce ten thousand random numbers in a second, but for the bracket he spends three full seconds to generate only a few hundred. If that ain't dedication to quality, I don't know what is."
The other perfect bracket still remaining belongs to a Magic 8 Ball currently residing in Fort Worth, Texas.