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UMBC’s Cinderella Story: No. 1 Can Mean One-and-Done in March Madness

by Sophia Chen
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Thursday is a day that no No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament would ever want to remember: it marks the five-year anniversary of their biggest loss ever! University of Maryland-Baltimore County, a small school not many people had heard of at the time, managed to pull off one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history when they beat the top team – Virginia.

UMBC’s lasting legacy became this: if you don’t watch out, being seeded number one can mean you’ll be quickly eliminated from the tournament.

Before 2018, the number one teams in March Madness had never been beaten in 135 tries, but UMBC changed all that with their 75-54 win over Virginia. Things haven’t changed for the women either; since 1998 only Harvard has managed to beat a first-seeded team (Stanford).

On Thursday, 3 top-ranked teams — Alabama, Kansas and Houston — will play to avoid losing like Virginia did five years ago. Meanwhile, their opponents Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Howard and Northern Kentucky will be doing their best to make themselves famous by winning this game.”One Shining Moment” is up for grabs and whoever wins will join the Retrievers in history books.

Ryan Odom, the coach of the Retrievers that season, was excited after their game and said something like this “I’ve been dreaming of moments like these”. His players were celebrating in a tight space to show off their accomplishment by overcoming all odds. KJ Maura, the 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds guard, joked with his teammates about how no one could have predicted their victory anymore and it might even get featured on an ESPN 30 for 30 episode. A few players struggled to take in what they achieved, holding each other tightly out of joy.

Jourdan Grant, one of the players from UMBC, said it felt like his spirit had left him that day.

Ryan Odom, the head coach at Utah State which is a team participating in this year’s basketball tournament, was full of excitement when he recalled that moment and said it’s something that will not be forgotten any time soon. He also added that winning such an intense game requires a lot of luck and having special talent. Last but not least, Joe Sherburne who was also part of UMBC mentioned that it remains to be the best day of his life.

Joe Sherburne says his life can be split into two parts, “before that day” and “after that day.” When others meet him they usually bring up the fact that he used to play for UMBC. He has a job as a financial adviser and very clearly remembers the special day.

As the score in the game between UMBC and Virginia widened to a big gap, something unbelievable began to take place. While sitting on the bench during a timeout, it was hard for him to focus on what he needed to do next because he couldn’t believe what was happening. Could gaining victory against No. 1 team of nation while being an underdog be true? Well, it happened after all! And then everyone started to want to know more about that story.

Sherburne stayed at the arena until late at night doing interviews. When he made it back to his team’s hotel, fans, friends, and family members were there to greet him. He and his teammates celebrated by watching highlights on “Sports Center” over and over again while they ate pizza!

Sherburne said he was too excited to even eat a full Domino’s pizza- usually he could finish it all but only managed two or three slices that night!

Sherburne wished he could celebrate longer after his team, UMBC, beat the historically unbeatable Kansas State in the second round of a tournament. Even though they lost in the next game, they achieved something that had never been done before and Sherburne is hoping it will stay that way for a while. To honor this momentous victory, he celebrated by having a shot of whiskey.

Two years ago, he went to Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals where he saw Mamadi Diakite from Virginia win a championship ring. Out of all the players that Virginia had in that finals, six later went on to play in the NBA; however, none of them were from UMBC.

The man commented that during the game, he was seated in second row upstairs and reflecting on how just a couple of years back before this instance he had made these same guys cry.

UMBC players have not been able to meet together in person but they stay connected through group texts. Last week, Odom opened one of these group texts and found fellow players and assistant coaches sharing memories about when star guard Jairus Lyles scored a basket at the buzzer which won them the 2018 America East Conference Tournament Championship game. As he read all their comments and saw pictures, Odom was overcome with emotion and started crying.

Coach Odom said that the team they were coaching had an amazing season and everyone involved will have wonderful memories from it forever. He was very happy that the players had a chance to be part of something special, like March Madness and an upset victory.

Are you a fan of college basketball? Check out our March Madness coverage–including the official bracket and the AP Top 25 College Basketball Polls–and join us on Twitter for updates about NCAA Men’s basketball on @AP_Top25!

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