No. 16 does it!
Retrievers defeat top-seeded Cavs
MARYLAND-BALTIMORE CO. 74, VIRGINIA 54
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It finally happened — a No. 16 ousted a No. 1 in March Madness.
The University of Maryland-Baltimore County stunned the college basketball world by pulling off the most shocking upset in men’s NCAA Tournament history, hammering Virginia 74-54 on Friday night to become the first No. 16 seed ever to beat a No. 1 seed.
Virginia entered the NCAA Tournament as tourney favorites — the No. 1 overall seed after going 31-2 this season, including 20-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference competition.
And really, who was UMBC anyway — a team most glanced over, or simply didn’t know when they filled out their NCAA bracket?
But UMBC didn’t just beat Virginia, it dominated throughout the second half. Senior guard Jairus Lyles scored 28 points and the Retrievers cruised to an easy victory before racing off the floor together in their yellow-and-black uniforms with one finger pointed toward the sky.
“These are the moments that you dream of,” Lyles said.
Chaminade’s 77-72 stunner over Ralph Sampson and then No. 1-ranked Cavaliers in 1982 in Hawaii was generally considered the most remarkable upset in college basketball history. But that was the regular season.
This came when it mattered the most — in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cavaliers couldn’t get anything generated on offense and the nation’s topranked defense couldn’t contain the American East Conference champions who won their conference tournament at the buzzer.
“Unbelievable — it’s really all you can say,” UMBC Coach Ryan Odom said.
The 74 points were the most Virginia had allowed this year. Virginia had allowed just 54.3 points per game this season, the fewest in the nation.
Lyles was the catalyst. He diced up Virginia’s defense in the second half, getting to the hole easily on six different occasions and making easy layups. He also knocked down a pair of three-pointers as UMBC built a 16-point lead.
Lyles finished with 23 of his points in the second half and Joe Sherburne finished with 14 points.
NEVADA 87, TEXAS 83, OT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Caleb Martin scored 18 points and made two huge three-pointers in overtime as Nevada rallied to beat Texas for its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2007.
Nevada (28-7) erased a 14-point, second-half deficit and tied it at 68 when Jordan Caroline hit one of two free throws with 3.8 seconds left in regulation. The Wolf Pack came back again after trailing by four early in an overtime session that featured 34 combined points.
Martin’s three-pointer with 2:26 left in overtime gave Nevada its first lead since opening the game on a 5-0 run. Texas’ Matt Coleman took a jumper that went around and out, and Martin hit another three that extended Nevada’s lead to 8177 with 1:36 left.
After Coleman cut Nevada’s margin to 81-79, Martin passed to twin brother Cody for a layup that made it 83-79 with 53 seconds remaining. Tenth-seeded Texas later got within two on a three-pointer by Kerwin Roach II with 15.5 seconds left, but that’s as close as the Longhorns got.
Caleb Martin also had 10 rebounds and five assists. Cody Martin had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Nevada’s Kendall Stephens had a team-high 22 points.
CINCINNATI 68, GEORGIA STATE 53
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jarron Cumberland had 27 points and 11 rebounds to set career highs in both categories as Cincinnati (31-4) recovered after blowing a 10-point lead in the second half to beat pesky Georgia State.
Gary Clark, the American Athletic Conference player of the year, put Cincinnati back in front by sinking a three-pointer with 9:02 left. Kyle Washington added two consecutive baskets before Jacob Evans III provided the exclamation point by sinking a baseline three-pointer that gave the Bearcats a 56-47 edge with 6:19 remaining. Cincinnati’s lead didn’t drop below seven the rest of the way
KANSAS STATE 69, CREIGHTON 59
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Barry Brown scored 18 points and No. 9 seed Kansas State (23-11) posted a wire-to-wire victory over No. 8 Creighton (21-12) despite playing without leading scorer Dean Wade.
Mike McGuirl added 17 points and Kamau Stokes had 11 as the Wildcats won a first-round NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2012.