20 most shocking NCAA Tournament upsets that put the ‘madness’ in March

1. No. 16 UMBC over No. 1 Virginia – 2018

• UMBC wins 74-54

When it came time to make this list, there was no doubt that the only 16-over-1 upset in college basketball history would top it. The fact that UMBC beat Virginia is still mind-boggling to this day, so let’s explore a little context for this upset.

Virginia entered the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed after a dominating run through the ACC. Headlined by the vaunted Pack Line defense, Tony Bennett‘s squad was the favorite to cut down the nets at the end of the tournament.

UMBC had no such lofty expectations, entering the contest as 20.5 point underdogs to Virginia. The Retrievers needed a buzzer-beater against Vermont to earn the America East’s automatic bid and were less than two months removed from an 83-39 loss to Albany.

Virginia was down DeAndre Hunter in this game, and few expected his loss would matter, but UMBC simply could not miss from beyond the arc. The Retrievers knocked down 12 of their 24 point three-point attempts, dominating the game in an effortless 74-54 win over the Cavaliers.

The effort nearly broke the internet as the UMBC basketball Twitter account quickly went viral as the game progressed. Virginia would rebound to win the national championship the following year, but this moment will still follow its players as the most memorable March Madness upset in college basketball history.

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.