The Boy Who Broke the March Madness Bracket

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Published 2016-03-17

The probability of completing a perfect NCAA tournament bracket is less than the combined odds of landing a hole-in-one, winning the Powerball and being struck by lightning multiple times. So how did Sam Holtz, the 2015 winner of ESPN's March Madness Bracket Challenge, beat out almost 12 million other entries and score a near-perfect bracket? For one: he didn’t watch any college basketball before the tournament. A Great Big Story told with our friends at Bleacher Report.

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All Comments (20)

@kylek7748 7 years ago

I've said this for years that the only person who is going to fill out a perfect bracket is someone who knows absolutely nothing about college basketball
@nickbrian9567 8 years ago

I play baseball with him. He wasn't lying about not watching basketabll
@micahsmith9024 6 years ago

Wise words from this guy, "Pick who you think is gonna win." bravo
@whipjack13 5 years ago

This is like passing a test you didn’t study for
@migbossChannel 5 years ago

Producers: Bracketology Prodogy! Sammy: "It's just pick whoever you want to win, there is no science"
@gonzolonzo1383 2 years ago

He lived a perfect series of events that lead him to his bracket.
@unonymous4407 2 years ago

I love how the only advice he had was “pick you think is gonna win.” Proves how he defiantly doesn’t watch basketball, makes the better.
@colinnewton8433 5 years ago

Who else it watching this because March Madness is coming back?
@gagebrooker5645 7 years ago

then they show him dunking on 8 foot rim
@e8kowala 8 years ago

LOL IS THIS REAL LIFE SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
@michaelpham2772 6 years ago

Didn’t know lostnunbound had the winning bracket
@MrHam-sk3kr 2 years ago

This is like the perfect example of how unpredictable march madness is
@Ty-tq2kj 7 years ago

Mark Cuban: You didn't choose the Mavericks to win, and for that reason I'm out.
@thewarriormonkey6372 7 years ago

their coach is Italian and I'm somewhat Italian so they win his logic
@SportsKing2000 1 month ago

8 years later, no one made it past the first round
@botsnest4933 4 years ago

some people be trying their whole lives to win this and this kid doesnt even watch college basketball and won LMFAO
@MusicThruHeadphones 8 years ago

He got lucky
@blubue 7 years ago

Or maybe someone from the future told him so.
@blurz3423 5 years ago

Now I know who’s lunch money to steal