March Madness brackets largely wrecked — except for one 8th-grader

Teen’s March Madness Bracket Shows Remarkable Luck

March Madness is known for its unpredictability, and one eighth-grader from Pennsylvania is proving just how tricky it can be. Otto Shellhammer, at only 14, has managed to fill out the last perfect bracket for the women’s tournament, despite admitting he knows little about basketball.

“Honestly, I just got lucky,” he shared with the media. “I play with friends sometimes, but I don’t really follow the games.”

In an ESPN contest, he accurately picked the winners of the first 48 games of the women’s tournament, coming surprisingly close to perfection—just 15 picks away. While there may be other perfect brackets in smaller pools, the NCAA only tracks his for the larger contests. According to NCAA Digital’s Mike Benji, the organization monitors millions of entries every year, with over 36 million for men’s brackets and 5.2 million for women’s. This makes Shellhammer’s achievement all the more extraordinary: one perfect bracket among 41.2 million entries.

Amy Shellhammer, Otto’s mother, expressed her amusement and excitement about her son’s unusual journey into the world of women’s basketball. “It’s really funny,” she remarked. “He’s started watching more games, which is great.”

Meanwhile, the men’s tournament saw Tennessee’s quest for a perfect bracket end abruptly after their 44th game. Over the course of this tournament, the NCAA identified 235 potential perfect entries for women, but that number dwindled to just seven when Virginia triumphed in a double-overtime game over Iowa State. Shellhammer stuck around to see Notre Dame beat Ohio State, cementing his lucky streak.

Reflecting on his experience, he noted, “I actually sat down to watch my first March Madness game this week. I thought, ‘Let’s see how the women’s bracket is doing,’ and was pleasantly surprised.”