UMBC Player Recalls ‘Wild” Upset over Virginia in March Madness

• In 2018, UMBC was the first 16-seed to beat a 1-seed in the men’s NCAA Tournament.
• Joe Sherburne, a forward who started for UMBC, said to Insider that he was in “shock”During the game.
• Sherburne, who is now a financial adviser, stated that he is often asked questions about the game and is proud to be able to make history.

Joe Sherburne approached 2018 NCAA Tournament just like any other, never stopping to consider if the 16th-seeded University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), could beat No. The tournament’s best team, Virginia (11)

However, UMBC took a strong stand against one the nation’s top defenses in the second half and led by 45 to 29 with just 11 minutes left.

Sherburne then faced a major upset.

“I’m just thinking, How on earth are we gonna hold onto this?”Sherburne spoke to Insider during a telephone interview. “Like, we have to hold onto this. This is so insane. We cannot blow this lead.”

He said, “I remember being [in] timeouts on the bench and not even being really able to absorb what our coach was saying because I was just so in shock.”

Sherburne scored 14 points on 5-of-11 shots and had six rebounds as UMBC won, 74 to 54. This was the first 16-seed to knock off a 1seed in NCAA Tournament history.

The tournament and brackets all around were in chaos after the upset. 16-seeds had a total of 0-135 points entering the men’s tournament. In the women’s tournament, a 16-seed has never beaten a 1 seed.

After the game, there was a celebration in the UMBC locker rooms, where the reality flooded over the players. Sherburne looked at his phone, and found 75 messages from family and friends unread. After fulfilling their media obligations, the team stayed in the locker area until 1:30 AM before going to dinner.

Later, the team returned to their hotel where they were welcomed by their fans. They ordered Domino’s for their rooms but Sherburne was too high on adrenaline to eat. He watched and waited. “SportsCenter”You should wait for at least three hours before you go to bed.

Sherburne said that he is frequently asked if celebratory beverages were consumed, which he almost finds funny.

“People ask that a lot, and it’s like, No, we’re in the hotel. We have a game in like 36 hours, the biggest game of our life,” Sherburne said. “And we’re all underage. Everybody recognizes us. We all only have UMBC gear on us. We can’t go to the bar.”

UMBC’s Cinderella run didn’t last long — they lost to Kansas State in the next game.

However, their celebrity lasted for a while. Under Armour sent each of the players shoes, courtesy of Stephen Curry — though Sherburne is skeptical.

“I know he made an Instagram post, but he didn’t actually send the shoes,” Sherburne said.

They also met with Fortnite executives. Sherburne was later sent a message by Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers called Sherburne. “cool.”

Sherburne is now a Wisconsin-based financial advisor. He said that the historic win comes up whenever he meets people. Sherburne says that friends often introduce him as a member the 16-seed team that beat the 1-seed. He is still being asked by colleagues about his win, especially now that March Madness is about to begin.

Sherburne is in a group message with a few UMBC members. He said that Virginia won. “almost never” comes up.

He is also protective of the history of UMBC.

“All I know is I root hard for the 1-seeds, because I don’t want any other 16-seeds to win,” Sherburne said. “I wanna remain the only one.”