16th seed beating a 1st seed
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UMBC vs. UVA: Bracket Busted
UMBC vs. UVA: Bracket Busted
The NCAA men's basketball tournament introduced the 16th seed in 1985. Until 2018, a 16th seed had never beaten the 1st seed, losing all 132 games. Even for a sixteenth seeded-team to lose the game by single-digit points is rare. So it was abnormal when the 20.5-point underdog UBMC was tied with Virginia at halftime. Since 1985, 20 points or more underdogs have been 2-155.
Nobody expected the second half, with the UBMC Retrievers dominating the Virginia Cavaliers, to not only win the game but win by 20 points. This victory was the second biggest point-spread upset.
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History of 1 seed vs. 16 seed in March Madness
No. 1 seeds have historically dominated No. 16 seeds since the NCAA tournament expanded its field in 1985. UMBC became the first 16 seed ever to upset a No. 1 seed in 2018, when the Retrievers defeated Virginia and became an overnight sensation.
NCAA
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UMBC pulls off second-largest NCAA tourney point-spread upset
UMBC was a 20.5-point underdog to Virginia, the top overall seed, making it the second-largest upset by point-spread standards since the field expanded in 1985.
ESPN
