8th-grader stands alone with last perfect women's NCAA basketball bracket

Perfection is difficult to travel by – arsenic anyone who has ever filled retired a bracket for nan NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournament has travel to recognize during March Madness season.

But 1 eighth grader from Pennsylvania is presently defying nan odds.

Otto Schellhammer, who is only 14, has nan past remaining cleanable bracket for nan women’s tournament. Stunningly, he’s admitted he knows thing astir basketball.

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Otto Schellhammer, an eighth-grader who has nan only cleanable bracket aft nan opening play of nan men’s and women’s NCAA assemblage hoops tournaments, poses successful his backyard successful Plum Borough, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

"I cognize group opportunity this a batch astir March Madness," Schellhammer told The Associated Press, "but it was 100% luck. I cognize fundamentally thing astir immoderate type of basketball.

"I play pinch my friends," he added, "but I don't really watch it."

Schellhammer has correctly picked nan first 48 games successful nan women’s tourney connected ESPN’s Tournament Challenge contest. He is conscionable 15 correct picks distant from perfection.

Though location whitethorn beryllium cleanable brackets successful smaller pools crossed nan country, he has nan lone 1 successful which nan NCAA has tracked. The statement has tracked 7 of nan largest contests for years, according to Mike Benzie, nan elder head of contented for NCAA Digital.

The NCAA has tracked 36 cardinal men’s entries and 5.2 cardinal connected nan women’s side, making Schellhammer 1 successful 41.2 million.

LAS VEGAS BETS BIG ON MARCH MADNESS AMID CITY'S TOURISM SLUMP THAT WORRIES MANY

UCLA halfway Lauren Betts (51) reacts while holding up nan UCLA bracket sticker aft UCLA defeats Oklahoma State successful nan 2nd information of nan NCAA assemblage hoops tournament, Monday, March 23, 2026, successful Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

"I deliberation it's perfectly hilarious," said Amy Schellhammer, Otto’s mother. "It’s conscionable truthful nosy to see. It’s exciting. I’m excited he’s into women’s hoops now. He’s been watching and it's making him much excited astir it."

On nan men’s broadside of nan ESPN Tournament Challenge, nan dream for a cleanable bracket came to an extremity erstwhile Tennessee defeated Virginia successful nan 44th crippled of nan tournament.

The NCAA recovered 235 cleanable women’s brackets among nan awesome contests going into Monday. The number fell to 7 erstwhile Virginia hit Iowa successful double overtime. When Notre Dame defeated Ohio State, Schellhammer was nan past 1 standing.

"The first crippled I watched of March Madness was connected Monday," Schellhammer said. "I came location and I was like, ‘I’ll cheque and spot really my women's bracket is doing.' Then I watched Virginia hit Iowa, and that was beautiful cool. And past I watched Notre Dame."

The Texas Longhorns guidelines for nan schoolhouse opus during a 2nd information crippled of nan 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held astatine Moody Center connected March 22, 2026 successful Austin, Texas. (Scott Wachter/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Schellhammer said if he had to spell back, he whitethorn person re-picked his champion team.

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But for now, Schellhammer has nan Texas Longhorns to triumph it all.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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