{"id":15347,"date":"2018-03-17T03:57:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T03:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2018\/03\/17\/umbcs-retrievers-put-virginia-in-a-hole-then-buried-every-single-bracket\/"},"modified":"2018-03-17T03:57:00","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T03:57:00","slug":"umbcs-retrievers-put-virginia-in-a-hole-then-buried-every-single-bracket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/umbcs-retrievers-put-virginia-in-a-hole-then-buried-every-single-bracket\/","title":{"rendered":"UMBC's Retrievers Put Virginia In A Hole, Then Buried Every Single Bracket"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Christopher Dean Hopkins<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Jairus Lyles, left, and teammate Jourdan Grant of the UMBC Retrievers react Friday night to their 74-54 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlotte, N.C.<\/p>\n

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Streeter Lecka\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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Streeter Lecka\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has included 64 teams every year since 1985, split into four quadrants and seeded 1-16. In all those years \u2014 in 135 tries \u2014 no 16 seed had ever beaten a top-seeded team.<\/p>\n

Until the University of Maryland-Baltimore County beat the stuffing out of Virginia, the best team in the country, 74-54 on Friday night.<\/p>\n

All of which is to say, if anyone claims they picked against Virginia in their tournament pool, you should feel comfortable not believing them.<\/p>\n

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The Retrievers \u2014 who made half their three-point shots against easily the best defensive team in the country \u2014 were led by 28 points from senior guard Jairus Lyles, and also presumably every four-leaf clover along the shoulders of I-95.<\/p>\n

UMBC outscored Virginia 53-33 in the second half, and also outrebounded the Cavaliers despite giving up a lot of height.<\/p>\n

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Virginia entered today allowing 53.4 PPG. <\/p>\n

It allowed 53 points in the 2nd half to UMBC. pic.twitter.com\/8RW2cxuzei<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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University of Maryland-Baltimore County advances to play ninth-seeded Kansas State on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The Virginia Cavaliers advance to wincing at trivia questions for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n

“I told our guys we had a historic season,” coach Tony Bennett said after the game. “And then we go and make history as the first top seed to lose.”<\/p>\n