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Perfection is hard to come by, as anyone who has ever filled out a men’s or women’s NCAA Tournament bracket has come to realize during the March Madness season.
But an eighth grader from Pennsylvania is currently defying the odds.
Otto Schellhammer, who is only 14 years old, has the last remaining perfect bracket for the women’s tournament. Amazingly, he has admitted that he knows nothing about basketball.
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Eighth-grader Otto Schellhammer, who has the only perfect bracket after the opening weekend of the men’s and women’s NCAA college basketball tournaments, poses in his backyard in Plum Borough, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“I know people say this a lot about March Madness,” Schellhammer told The Associated Press, “but it was 100% luck. I know basically nothing about any kind of basketball.
“I play with my friends,” he added, “but I don’t really see it.”
Schellhammer has correctly picked the first 48 games of the women’s tournament in ESPN’s Tournament Challenge contest. He’s only 15 real picks away from perfection.
While there may be perfect brackets in smaller pools across the country, he has the only one the NCAA has tracked. The organization has followed seven of the biggest contests for years, according to Mike Benzie, senior director of content for NCAA Digital.
The NCAA has tracked 36 million men’s enrollments and 5.2 million on the women’s side, making Schellhammer one in 41.2 million.
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UCLA center Lauren Betts reacts as he holds up the UCLA bracket decal after UCLA defeated Oklahoma State in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
“I think it’s absolutely hilarious,” said Amy Schellhammer, Otto’s mother. “It’s just so much fun to watch. It’s exciting. I’m excited for him to be in women’s basketball now. He’s been watching and it makes him more excited about it.”
On the men’s side of the ESPN Tournament Challenge, hopes of a perfect bracket ended when Tennessee defeated Virginia in the 44th game of the tournament.
The NCAA found 235 perfect women’s brackets among the majors entering Monday. That number dropped to seven when Virginia beat Iowa in double overtime. When Notre Dame defeated Ohio State, Schellhammer was the last one standing.
“The first game I saw of March Madness was on Monday,” Schellhammer said. “I got home and I was like, ‘I’m going to check and see how my women’s fittings are doing.’ Then I saw Virginia beat Iowa and it was pretty cool. And then I saw Notre Dame.”
The Texas Longhorns stand for the school anthem during a second round NCAA Women’s Tournament held at the Moody Center on March 22, 2026 in Austin. (Scott Wachter/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Schellhammer said if he had to go back, he might have re-picked his championship team.
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But for now, Schellhammer has the Texas Longhorns to win it all.
