CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There is an ugly side to college basketball that has come to the forefront this year with an FBI investigation and wiretaps and all the things that can turn someone off to a sport. But then there are moments, like Friday night at Spectrum Center, when college basketball reminds us why this month is so special.
March Madness reached an unthinkable level when 16th-seeded University of Maryland-Baltimore County upset top-seeded and No. 1 ranked Virginia, 74-54. Now we know anything can happen in the NCAA Tournament.
“If you play this game and step into the arena, stuff like this can happen,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “They played well and we did not.”
This is what was feared about Virginia, the ACC regular-season and tournament champion. A team built on defense and a deliberate low-scoring offense might be vulnerable to a hot-shooting team that it couldn’t match.
UMBC was that and more, hitting 68 percent from the floor in the second half. It left the Cavaliers shattered. Their hopes of reaching the Final Four were done after one game; a season of many achievements ends in embarrassment.
“It shows you anybody can beat anybody,” said Virginia’s sophomore guard Ty Jerome. “If you don’t come to play, you’re going to get beat. It’s basketball.”
No one could have predicted how easily the Retrievers would handle the Cavaliers. UMBC had a double-digit lead four minutes into the second half and maintained it for the remainder of the game.
“They thoroughly outplayed us,” Bennett said. “They were hard for us to guard and they played us well defensively.”
In addition to shooting just 41.1 percent from the field for the game, the Cavaliers managed just five assists and were outrebounded 33-22. They also made just 4-of-22 from 3-point range.
“Maybe we didn’t come ready to play,” said Jerome, a native of New Rochelle. “To have five total assists as a team is pretty bad.”
It was pretty bad all around for Virginia, a team left to balance 31 wins and all that ACC hardware with an historic exit from the tournament.
“We had a remarkable year, but we also knew our margin for error wasn’t huge,” Bennett said. “I’m so sad that we’re done with this group because they did everything I asked. I think they’re strong character guys. Resiliency has been their strength. Now it will be tested in a way I don’t think they thought it would be tested.”
UMBC’s speed was too much for Virginia, especially with the way the Retrievers shot the ball. It was the first time this season Virginia allowed more than 68 points in a game.
“I don’t think we defended well; we didn’t pass the ball well; we didn’t come off screens well; we didn’t really do anything well,” Jerome said. “Give credit to them.”
It’s going to be a long offseason for Virginia.
