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Eighth-Grader's Perfect Bracket Ends with Notre Dame Upset

3/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

Otto Schellhammer, an eighth-grader from Pittsburgh, missed his first women's March Madness pick when No. 6 seed Notre Dame defeated second-seeded Vanderbilt in Fort Worth, Texas.
This loss ended Schellhammer's perfect bracket run among over 40 million entries, which he attributed to "100% luck" despite lacking basketball knowledge.
His mother, Amy, found the situation "absolutely hilarious" as she noted his excitement for the games.
Schellhammer's bracket still predicts Texas to win the title.
NCAA Digital's Mike Benzie reported 36 million men's entries and 5.2 million women's entries in the tournament.

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Story summary

Otto Schellhammer, an eighth-grader from Pittsburgh, missed his first women's March Madness pick when No. 6 seed Notre Dame defeated second-seeded Vanderbilt in Fort Worth, Texas.
This loss ended Schellhammer's perfect bracket run among over 40 million entries, which he attributed to "100% luck" despite lacking basketball knowledge.
His mother, Amy, found the situation "absolutely hilarious" as she noted his excitement for the games.
Schellhammer's bracket still predicts Texas to win the title.
NCAA Digital's Mike Benzie reported 36 million men's entries and 5.2 million women's entries in the tournament.