MUST BE CINDERELLA!
UMBC stuns UVA in biggest upset in NCAA tourney history as first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1
Anyone could have guessed that top-seeded Virginia versus University of Maryland-Baltimore County would be a 20-point blowout.
But who would have predicted it would be the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA tournament?
UMBC — an acronym unfamiliar to most people before Friday night — shocked the college basketball world with a 74-54 victory over Virginia, becoming the first 16-seed ever to beat a No. 1.
Princeton, East Tennessee State, and Western Carolina all came close. But until this stunner in Charlotte, No. 16s were 0-131. The Retrievers had never beaten an Atlantic Coast Conference team.
On Twitter and TNT — it’s hard to know exactly who came up with it first — the clever “U Must Be Cinderella” wordplay went viral. This was an all-time bracket buster, as 18.5% of people who filled out brackets on ESPN.com had Virginia winning it all.
According to odds expert R.J. Bell, the Retrievers were 25-to-1 underdogs. They barely got into the tournament, needing a basket in the final seconds to get past Vermont.
Friday, the teams were deadlocked at halftime, 21-21, before UMBC erupted for 53 points in the second half – against the best defense in college basketball. The Cavaliers shot 54.2% from the floor, made 12 of 24 three-pointers (compared to four of 22 by Virginia), and outrebounded the Cavaliers, 33-24.
“We got our butts whipped, that wasn’t even close,” Virginia Coach Tony Bennett said in a CBS interview. “That’s first a credit to what Ryan did, Coach Odom. Their offense was very hard to guard. They shot it well. We kept getting broken down and did a poor job.
“I told our guys, we had a historic season… and then we made
history by becoming the first 1-seed to lose.” The Retrievers led for the final 19½ minutes, and by double digits for the final 16:20. A 16-seed had never led a No. 1 by more than 17 points prior to Friday night. Guard Jairus Lyles, a transfer from VCU, electrified the crowd by scoring 23 of his 28 points after halftime. Joe Sherburne set the tone in the second half with a 3-point play and a 3-pointer on the Retrievers’ first two possessions. K.J. Maura, listed at 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds, scored 10 points and played all 40 minutes. He started doing a Harlem Globetrotter dribbling routine at one point that made all of Puerto Rico proud. “I carry Puerto Rico in my heart,” Maura said. “It’s a very special moment for them right now, making history as a team, but I’m also making history for my country.” The game was tied at 21 going into the second half, and that’s when UMBC ignited. Sherburne’s 3-point play broke the tie. Then, after an air ball by Kyle Guy, Sherburne knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 27-21. “I think we kind of all wanted to be in the ’One Shining Moment’ video,” joked Sherburne, who finished with 14 points. “We were all in the locker room singing the first line, because that’s all we know.” Guy made a free throw, Maura drove down the lane to make it 29-22. That led U.Va. coach Tony Bennett to call his first timeout of the second half. Virginia immediately went in the post to guard Ty Jerome, who at 6-foot-5 has a nine-inch height advantage on Maura. He scored, and the Cavs had a boost. But Lyles responded with a 3-pointer. Jerome missed, and Sherburne drained another. UMBC coach Ryan Odom had his players keep their feet on the gas from start to finish, demoralizing Virginia throughout the second half. Odom was once the interim head coach for the Charlotte 49ers before the 49ers decided they could do better by hiring Mark Price. Talk about a mistake — Price has since been fired and Odom has turned around a UMBC team that went 7-25 in 2015-16. Odom said afterward it was “special” to pull the historic upset in Charlotte. “We had an unbelievable experience here in Charlotte because so many friends and family here, not just at the university obviously at UNC Charlotte, but just in general,” Odom said. “My brother still lives here. My parents live in WinstonSalem. My two best high school friends live here.