Sasha Anderson, a seventh-grade student at Mountain Island Lake Academy in Charlotte, correctly picked North Carolina, South Carolina, Gonzaga and Oregon to make the NCAA Final Four.
It was her first time filling out a bracket.
Anderson said she chose teams based on a formula, starting with their record and conference rank.
"It was just a mind thing," she said. "It was a theory."
The 12-year-old chose other teams for personal reasons, including South Carolina, where her mother, aunt and grandparents all went to school.
Sasha picked North Carolina to beat Gonzaga in the championship game Monday night.
“Of course I'm going to go for my hometown,” she said.
Her math teacher, Lawrence Lawson, had students fill out a bracket as a way to boost their morale before testing season, also encouraging them to research the participating colleges.
Lawson quickly realized Sasha’s bracket was far from normal, after the second-round meeting between Duke and South Carolina.
“Right now, she's a step above everybody,” he said. “Even the teachers!”
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