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Yes, that really happened: UMBC slays Goliath, knocking off No. 1 overall seed Virginia

By Neil Harrington

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: K.J. Maura #11 and teammate Jourdan Grant #5 of the UMBC Retrievers celebrate their 74-54 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: K.J. Maura #11 and teammate Jourdan Grant #5 of the UMBC Retrievers celebrate their 74-54 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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UMBC pulls off the greatest upset in NCAA tournament history, knocking off the ACC champion Virginia Cavaliers.

UMBC beating Virginia? That’s madness even for March.

For the first time in NCAA history (under the current format) a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed — with the UMBC Retrievers stunning the top overall seed Virginia Cavaliers 74-54 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Former NCAA tournament participant and Missouri Tiger Michael Dixon predicted this nearly two weeks ago — embracing his inner Nostradamus.

We’ve had a handful of close calls over the years, with No. 1 seeds nearly falling to the ultimate underdog in times past, but they couldn’t entirely close the deal.

  • 1989: Georgetown 50-49 over Princeton
  • 1989: Oklahoma 72-71 over Eastern Tennesee State
  • 1990: Michigan State 75-71 over Murray State (OT)
  • 1996: Purdue 73-71 over Western Carolina (Three at the buzzer for W. Carolina rimmed out)
  • 2014: (Ironically) Virginia and Coastal Carolina were tied with eight minutes left, but the Cavaliers pulled away late.

Until now.

Tonight, UMBC left no doubt, embarrassing an ACC “power” and arguably one of the best overall teams in recent seasons.

Evidently, losing to a No.16 is Virginia’s destiny, with this contest going down as the most significant upset in March Madness history — and maybe sports. Ever.

UMBC poured it on in the final minutes, routing Virginia by 20 points. Is this real life? Am I dreaming?

What happened to Virginia’s tenacious defense? And, what hindered their methodical offense from controlling the tempo of the game?

Virginia went ice-cold from beyond the arc, shooting a dreadful 18 percent from three-point land. Meanwhile, UMBC caught fire, knocking down 12 of 24 baskets from downtown. The three-point line is the great equalizer in college basketball, and that showed in spades tonight.

Head coach Ryan Odom of UMBC executed his game plan flawlessly, with his team playing with swagger the entire game. It appeared that the Retrievers were the top seed and not the Cavaliers.

On the flip side, Tony Bennett had no answer, and his blank stare at the end of the game said it all. Shock. After the game, there was nothing else he could utter except:

“We got our butts whipped… It stings.”

The understatement of the century there, coach. But what else could he say?

Next: Loyola’s No. 1 fan Sister Jean has prayers answered

The UMBC Retrievers (25-10) look to add to history when they take on Kansas State of the Big 12 on Sunday.

For more from the NCAA Tournament, make sure to follow FanSided and stay tuned to our March Madness hub for all the latest news and results — but how in the world do you top this game?

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