UMBC stuns No. 1 UVA
First No. 16 seed to notch win
UMBC has made NCAA tournament history.
The University of Maryland-Baltimore County became the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed after upsetting Virginia 74-54 last night.
CHARLOTTE
This was a shocker. And it wasn’t even that close.
Virginia was the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP poll.
They were no match for the Retrievers (25-10), especially after halftime.
UMBC looked like the No. 1 seed.
Jairus Lyles scored 28 points and the Retrievers became the first team all season to score at least 70 against the Cavaliers (31-3), thanks to a 53-point second half.
Texas A&M 73, Providence 69 — Tyler Davis had 14 points and 15 rebounds and Robert Williams added his own double-double and the Aggies dropped the Friars.
Williams finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds for Texas A&M (21-12), the West Region’s No. 7 seed.
“We got a lot of help from our guards, too,” Davis said. “Our guards put bodies on the outside so we can play 1-on-1 inside. It was really a team effort. We were able to snag a couple of boards.”
A couple? The 6-foot10 forwards outrebounded Providence’s entire team.
The Aggies finished with a 44-26 rebounding advantage and had 11 offensive rebounds against the 10th-seeded Friars (21-14).
“Even though we were checking out, and I thought we did a decent job, they got length rebounds,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “There’s really nothing you can do. That’s God’s gift to them. There’s really nothing you can do about it. You keep encouraging your kids, but when you’ve got 7-6 wing length and 7-5 wing length, that’s genetics, baby.” No. Carolina 84, Lipscomb 66 — Kenny Williams scored 18 points and the defending national champion Tar Heels took their time before opening up, beating the Bisons.
Theo Pinson had 15 points and flirted with a triple-double for the Tar Heels (26-10), the No. 2 seed in the West Region.
Playing for the first time in the NCAA tourney, Lipscomb (23-10) shot well at the start and held an early six-point edge. They led 33-31 with under four minutes left in the first half before North Carolina went on a 12-1 run to take control by the break.
Kansas St. 69, Creighton 59 — Barry Brown scored 18 points and the ninth-seeded Wildcats (23-11) posted a wire-to-wire victory over the No. 8 Bluejays (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.