Virginia stunned in biggest NCAA Tournament upset of all time
Never before in the history of the modern NCAA Tournament had a No. 16 seed knocked off a No. 1 seed. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there had been a handful of close calls, but never the ultimate upset.
That all changed on Friday night.
It wasn’t just any No. 1 seed that fell, but the top seed for the entire tournament, Virginia.
And it wasn’t a fluke win. Virginia was completely outclassed by the opposition.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, appearing in its second ever tournament, crushed Virginia 74-54.
The UMBC Retrievers used a combination of hot three-point shooting and aggressive defense to stun the Cavaliers.
The game stayed close through the first half, with UMBC clawing back every time Virginia started to pull away. Heading into halftime, the score was deadlocked at 22.
(16) UMBC came ready to play! 👌#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/6acj0yS7dW
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2018
UMBC came out flying to start the second half, while Virginia went ice cold from the field.
A steady stream of three-pointers and acrobatic drives helped UMBC build a double digit lead early in the half.
Sherburne with the smooth finish for the Retrievers! 👌#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zgiviASGcH
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2018
The Retrievers are in a groove!!! 🔥🔥🔥#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/BQdAKzsy16
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2018
"Can this be the night?" #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/h7N2kSV1Sh
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2018
Reminiscent of Buffalo’s upset win against Arizona on Thursday, each time it looked like Virginia would be able to seize the momentum, UMBC unleashed a quick run to further extend the lead. Once the Cavaliers fell behind by double digits they were never able to close the gap.
THE RETRIEVERS CAN DO NO WRONG!!! 🔥🔥🔥#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/LkiHTw2Fpt
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2018
The Retrievers were powered by a sensational performance from senior guard Jairus Lyles who scored 28 points.
UMBC shot an impressive 12-for-24 on three-point attempts.
Virginia were among the favorites to win the tournament, with data analysis website FiveThirtyEight giving the ACC champions a 41 percent chance of advancing to the Final Four.
UMBC will look to keep the magic alive when they take on Kansas State on Sunday.
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