(PHOTO AND STORY: KHQ.COM)
Sometimes, it’s tough to predict outcomes of games, but if you look at the numbers, you could get some idea. That’s why we went to Gonzaga’s math department to find out the odds of the Zags becoming champions.
Professor Justin Marks and his student Ethan Mahintorabi are doing very important work.
“I developed a computer program to tell me the odds,” Ethan says.
The two used their program, data, and the Law of Total Probability to figure it out. The end result is 50 percent, which means their odds of winning it all can come down to a coin toss.
For these two, though, even if you take math out of the equation, the answer is simple.
“I think we’ve got to go with the Zags winning the whole thing,” Ethan says.
“Me too. This is our year,” Justin adds.
Take it from these guys. They know what they're talking about.