Fan with perfect NCAA bracket missed shot at $1B prize

Duke guard Andre Dawkins (34) walks off the court after the second half of an NCAA college basketball second-round game against Mercer, Friday, March 21, 2014, in Raleigh, N.C. Mercer won 78-71. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) (AP2014)

UPDATE: Binder's quest for a perfect bracket ended with the Dayton-Syracuse, Stanford-Kansas, Oregon-Wisconsin and Wichita State-Kentucky games Sunday. Binder picked Syracuse, Kansas, Oregon and Wichita State, but Dayton (55-53), Stanford (60-57), Wisconsin (85-77), and Kentucky (78-76) won.

Earlier version of the story below: 

The oracle of college basketball is now appealing to the Oracle of Omaha for a shot at $1 billion.

Brad Binder, a lifelong basketball player who is a Chicago Bulls and Fighting Illini fan, has a perfect NCAA bracket after 33 games, ABC News reports.

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Now Binder, who filled out his picks on Yahoo! Sports but didn’t take the extra steps to enter Warren Buffett’s billion-dollar challenge, is trying to get in touch with the business magnate to get grandfathered in to the prize pool.

Binder, 23, who said it took him just 5 minutes to fill out the bracket, which Yahoo! has confirmed, told ABC News: “I wish I could give you a better reason why I didn’t enter other than I was rushed and heading to work.

“Obviously, I didn’t think I’d be where I am now.”

Binder, a part-time physical therapy assistant, had Dayton beating Ohio State, and picked No. 14 seed Mercer to beat No. 3 Duke.  Binder also knew Memphis would beat George Washington.

“I’m hot on Warren Buffett’s trail,” Binder reportedly said. “I’ve been tweeting him . . . to see if he’s feeling up to it.”