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Perfection is elusive, as anyone who has ever completed a bracket for the NCAA men’s and women’s tournament during the March Madness season will have realized.
But one eighth-grader from Pennsylvania is currently defying the odds.
Otto Schellhammer, who is only 14 years old, has the last perfect group left for the women’s tournament. Surprisingly, he admitted that he knows nothing about basketball.
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Otto Schellhammer, an eighth-grader who has the only perfect bracket after the first weekend of the NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments, poses in his backyard in Plum Borough, Pa., Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“I know people say a lot about March Madness,” Schellhammer told The Associated Press, “but it was 100% luck. I basically know nothing about any type of basketball.
“I play with my friends,” he added, “but I don’t really watch it.”
Schellhammer correctly picked the first 48 games of the women’s tournament in ESPN’s Tournament Challenge contest. You’re just 15 right picks away from perfection.
While there may be perfect groups in smaller groups across the country, he has the only one the NCAA has tracked. The organization has tracked seven of the biggest contests for years, according to Mike Benzie, senior director of content for NCAA Digital.
The NCAA has tracked 36 million enrollments on the men’s side and 5.2 million on the women’s side, making Schellhammer one of 41.2 million.
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UCLA center Lauren Betts reacts while holding the UCLA box sticker 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 a lot of fun to watch. It’s exciting. I’m excited that he’s interested in women’s basketball now. He’s been watching and that makes him even more excited.”
On the men’s side of the ESPN Tournament Challenge, hopes for a perfect bracket came to an end when Tennessee defeated Virginia in game 44 of the tournament.
The NCAA found 235 perfect women’s categories among major competitions as of Monday. The 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 March Madness game I watched was on Monday,” Schellhammer said. “I came home and thought, ‘I’ll check in and see how my girls group is doing.’ Then I watched Virginia beat Iowa and it was great. And then I watched Notre Dame.”
The Texas Longhorns perform the school song during a second-round game of the Women’s NCAA Tournament held at Moody Center on March 22, 2026 in Austin. (Photos by Scott Wachter/NCAA via Getty Images)
Schellhammer said if he had to go back, he could have picked his championship team again.
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But for now, Schellhammer has the Texas Longhorns to win it all.
