UMBC-Virginia: Area Pundits Weigh In On Cavs' NCAA Loss

CHARLOTTE—Here's what area sports columnists had to say about the University of Virginia's stunning 74-54 loss Friday night to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Cavaliers became the first No. 1 region seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in 136 such matchups:

David Teel, per the Daily Press (Va.):
"This wasn’t an upset. This was a thrashing. An embarrassing, humbling and unprecedented postseason beatdown that will scar a rightfully proud college basketball program indelibly."

Peter Schmuck, per the Baltimore Sun:

". . .(T)hey’re now the little team from Baltimore County that could. Now, it's just a matter of figuring out how it happened and making sure you’ve got your Powerball tickets for Saturday night’s drawing. The jackpot is closing in on a half-billion dollars, but at the moment anything seems possible.

". . .It’s particularly special here in Maryland because UMBC was the only representative of the region to make the tournament after injuries and inconsistency knocked the young and promising Maryland Terps out of consideration. Yes, the same Maryland team that beat UMBC by 21 points early this season."

Jerry Brewer, per the Washington Post:

". . .As the unthinkable happened, the reactions at the Spectrum Center ranged from the underdog’s bravado to the favorite’s shock and frustration to the crowd’s complete pandemonium. UMBC kept scoring against the nation’s toughest defense. Virginia kept shrinking into uncertainty. Was this happening, really? A No. 16 seed was ahead of the No. 1 overall seed by seven points, then eight, 11, 14, 16. The Retrievers, in gold and black uniforms that reminded you of the basketball team in “Teen Wolf,” could not be stopped."

Jerry Ratcliffe, per the Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress:

". . .(U.Va coach Tony) Bennett has done everything right in his nine years of making hoops relevant again in Charlottesville, except for the NCAA Tournament. If he has but one blemish, that is it.

"Suffering back-to-back-to-back, lopsided early exits from the NCAAs at the hands of Florida (65-39), and now, to a 16th seed, is downright inexplicable. Parlay those shockers with the collapse vs. Syracuse in Chicago three years ago, and you have a devastating menagerie of setbacks for the long-suffering fan base."

Marc Tracy, per the New York Times:

". . .Virginia does not play like other teams. On offense the Cavaliers milk the shot clock. Their defense is a specialized system. And they are s-l-o-w: this season, they ranked dead last in possessions per 40 minutes.

"The combination left Virginia vulnerable when U.M.B.C. kept the score close — at one point making three unanswered 3-pointers so that the halftime score was tied. Then the Retrievers went on a 16-2 run at the start of the second half. Virginia found itself down 12 with four minutes left, needing to make up a lead in a hurry: the one thing the team was not designed to do."

Paul Woody, per the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

"The sun rose Saturday, as expected, although University of Virginia men's basketball program and its fans would not have been surprised had it come up in the West instead of the East."

PHOTO: Kyle Guy of the Virginia Cavaliers exits the court after their 74-54 loss to the UMBC Retrievers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)