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Well, you can probably tell that I have not been following the March Madness college basketball tournament as religiously as other people, because I only found out about this just last evening, as the casual online search for results from the opening weekend of March Madness revealed that history was made.
The 16th seed UMBC Retrievers (University of Maryland Baltimore County) became the first 16th seed to win against a number one seed, as they took out the Virginia Cavaliers, 74-54.
The game was a low-scoring, defensive affair through the first half, and the two teams went into the lockers for halftime tied at 21-21.
In the second half, however, UMBC got hot from with their three-pointers, and built up a double-digit lead. They never looked back, and never relinquished it, as Virginia became the first top-seeded team to lose their very first tournament game since the 64-team system was set up.
However, this was not the first time that a number one ranked team lost a shocking upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In fact, it happened to Virginia before, when they were the number one seed back in 1982-83, only to lose to Chaminade, 77-72. At the time, it was known as the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history.
Now, it has been eclipsed by this latest loss by another Virginia team, this time to the UMBC Retrievers, who wound up losing themselves in the second round to the 9th seed Kansas University in the second round.
Still, that is some unbelievable history, as prior to that game, the 16th seeds had a combined record of 0-135 against number 1 seeds. But now, what was deemed as impossibly by some has happened, and a top-seeded team has indeed lost to the lowest rated team of a bracket. It had taken Virginia 35 years to get back to the number one ranking following that shocking defeat to Chaminade, and they saw yet another disaster - one probably even bigger and likely more haunting than the loss to Chaminade - to have it taken away from them. This Virginia team was not just the number one seed in their bracket, but the overall number one ranked team, and many considered them the best team in years. They had not allowed more than 53 points in any game all season thanks to a stellar defense, yet they allowed 53 points in the second half alone, and wound up losing by 20 points!
Indeed, history was made in the NCAA tournament this weekend, and it was not just with that shocking win by UMBC over Virginia.
Yes, there were a few upsets and eyebrow raising results, but perhaps none of the other games were quite as noteworthy as what happened to Cincinnati.
Another huge and shocking outcome occurred on Sunday evening, when Cincinnati did their best impression of the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl, as they blew a huge lead well into the second half, and improbably found a way to lose a game that they had in the bag.
By the end of the game, however, Cincy players were scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong, as Nevada celebrated an improbable win.
Two years ago, Northern Iowa was coming off a huge win from one of the most iconic shots in tournament history, and things were going well for them against Texas A&M, as well. They were up by 12 with just 44 seconds remaining. Usually, that means cruise control to the finish line. Just don't do anything stupid and self-destructive, and you have got yourself a win, right?
Well, not this time. Somehow, Northern Iowa had a historic collapse that most people believe ranks as the worst collapse in tournament history, Somehow, they found a way to lose that game.
All of that, and just a few weeks ago, Drexel managed to pull off the greatest comeback in NCAA history, overcoming a 34-point deficit to Delaware to ultimately win the game.
Cincinnati's collapse, or ranks as the second Nevada's epic comeback win, was the second biggest comeback in March madness history, as Nevada overcame a 22-point deficit to ultimately win the game.
So, what was the biggest comeback?
That came in 2012 during the Final Four, when the BYU Cougars gave up 55 points in the first half and were trailing by 25 points at one point, they came all the way back to stun Iona, 78-72, to pull off a win for the ages. It still stands as the greatest comeback in the history of the NCAA tournament, often known better as March Madness.
So, there you have it. Only two rounds into the March Madness tournament, and already, there have been some epic, memorable games and history made! Let's see what the rest of the tournament has in store!
The following were the articles that I used in writing this blog entry, including numerous background stories and records and such to illustrate some of the other epic moments in March Madness history. Please take a look at these, as they provide some really interesting stuff!
The night UMBC, Virginia and the impossible all collided by ESPN by Ryan McGee, March 17, 2018:
A Little-Known University Stuns No. 1 Virginia? You Must Mean Chaminade By JOHN BRANCHMARCH 17, 2018:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/sports/ncaabasketball/virginia-upset-chaminade.html
What Are the Largest Comebacks in March Madness History? by Ryan Davis March 13, 2018:
By the end of the game, however, Cincy players were scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong, as Nevada celebrated an improbable win.
Two years ago, Northern Iowa was coming off a huge win from one of the most iconic shots in tournament history, and things were going well for them against Texas A&M, as well. They were up by 12 with just 44 seconds remaining. Usually, that means cruise control to the finish line. Just don't do anything stupid and self-destructive, and you have got yourself a win, right?
Well, not this time. Somehow, Northern Iowa had a historic collapse that most people believe ranks as the worst collapse in tournament history, Somehow, they found a way to lose that game.
All of that, and just a few weeks ago, Drexel managed to pull off the greatest comeback in NCAA history, overcoming a 34-point deficit to Delaware to ultimately win the game.
Cincinnati's collapse, or ranks as the second Nevada's epic comeback win, was the second biggest comeback in March madness history, as Nevada overcame a 22-point deficit to ultimately win the game.
So, what was the biggest comeback?
That came in 2012 during the Final Four, when the BYU Cougars gave up 55 points in the first half and were trailing by 25 points at one point, they came all the way back to stun Iona, 78-72, to pull off a win for the ages. It still stands as the greatest comeback in the history of the NCAA tournament, often known better as March Madness.
So, there you have it. Only two rounds into the March Madness tournament, and already, there have been some epic, memorable games and history made! Let's see what the rest of the tournament has in store!
The following were the articles that I used in writing this blog entry, including numerous background stories and records and such to illustrate some of the other epic moments in March Madness history. Please take a look at these, as they provide some really interesting stuff!
The night UMBC, Virginia and the impossible all collided by ESPN by Ryan McGee, March 17, 2018:
A Little-Known University Stuns No. 1 Virginia? You Must Mean Chaminade By JOHN BRANCHMARCH 17, 2018:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/sports/ncaabasketball/virginia-upset-chaminade.html
Odom family tied to college basketball’s biggest upsets — UMBC and Chaminade Associated Press March 17, 2018:
What Are the Largest Comebacks in March Madness History? by Ryan Davis March 13, 2018:
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