Autistic teenager a true bracketologist

GLENVIEW, Ill. - Nobody's perfect.

Suburban Chicago teenager Alex Herrmann was 48-for-48 through the first two rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, despite a string of upsets that wrecked millions of brackets.

Butler beat No. 1-seed Syracuse in the East regional semifinals Thursday night, ending the 17-year-old Herrmann's run. It was the first miss in his bracket.

Herrmann, who is autistic, entered CBSsports.com's Bracket Manager competition. The bracket can be changed after games are completed, and some skeptics on the Internet have questioned Herrmann's calls. Herrmann's family told NBC-TV's Chicago affiliate the young man just picked the winners.

"We don't really monitor the Bracket Manager product," CBSsports.com spokesman Alex Riethmiller said yesterday. "All we can say is that we can't confirm or deny the authenticity of the bracket because it can be altered."

The family didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

The student at Glenbrook South High chose Kansas State, Purdue, Kentucky and Tennessee to make the Final Four. His pick for a national champion? The Boilermakers, who lost to Duke last night, 70-57. *