It was an upset for the ages. The University of Maryland-Baltimore County’s defeat over Virginia will resonate louder and longer than any other upset. A 16th seed has a defeated a 1 seed for the first time in NCAA tournament history. College basketball has never seen a bigger upset. A game that should have had a clear winner caught the attention of the world of sports when the final score read: UMBC 74, Virginia 54. What a blowout.

An hour before tip-off, it was a quiet afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina. Players on both teams warmed up in the empty stadium. It was the calm before the storm. On one side of the court were the Virginia Cavaliers. The Cavaliers had just come off an extremely successful season with a 31-2 record. On top of that, they won both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles. With a number 1 seed in the tournament, they warmed up very confidently in preparation for what they thought would be an easy game.

On the other side of the court were the UMBC Retrievers. According to the Ken Pomeroy efficiency ratings, UMBC ranked 188th in the country. They had lost to the likes of Stony Brook and was beaten by 44 points by Albany in the middle of its conference season. With the lowest seed in the tournament, UMBC warmed up with something to prove. They knew the whole country watching expected them to get blown out. They were here to prove everyone wrong.

It’s too improbable for words, except that it happened.

Virginia started the game strong but UMBC answered by launching three-pointers and finding a rhythm offensively. When UMBC started to miss shots they responded by driving to the basket with reckless abandon. With UMBC’s lead growing bigger and bigger, their confidence transformed into Virginia nervousness. At halftime it was knotted up at 21 a piece. UMBC came out in the second half with six straight points. Virginia started to panic when UMBC’s lead grew to seven, then eight, then 11 and then 14 with UMBC’s senior guard Jairus Lyles three-pointer with 14:57 left. UMBC’s hot shooting continued for the entire second half and led to the improbable victory for the Retrievers. Lyles, who finished with a game-high of 28 points, had something to say after the game, “These are moments that you dream of, it’s always exciting to make history.” That Friday night in Charlotte will never be forgotten.

Jack Cote, a sophomore at Hall High School, watched the game as his dad went to Virginia and is a huge fan of their athletics. “I was in utter shock. I never thought an upset of this proportion was possible.” Jack’s emotions after the game can be related to by millions of sports fans around the world. UMBC has left college basketball fans speechless.

UMBC proved to the world that anything is possible. They went into the game knowing the odds were extremely low for them to win. They did not care. They didn’t hang their heads and played like they were the favorite to win. It was a truly inspiring performance. With the historic defeat of a 1 seed by a 16th seed, will an upset this big ever occur in the NCAA Tournament again?