What 16 Seed Won?

2018 NCAA tournament South Regional First Round
Spectrum Center, site of the game

UMBC Retrievers	Virginia Cavaliers
(24–10)	(31–2)
74	54
Head coach: Ryan Odom	Head coach: Tony Bennett
AP : NR Coaches : NR	AP : 1 Coaches : 1

	1	2	Total
UMBC	21	53	74
Virginia	21	33	54

Date	March 16, 2018
Arena	Spectrum Center
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina
Favorite	Virginia by 20.5
Referee(s)	Tim Nestor, Tony Greene, and Todd Austin
Attendance	17,943
United States TV coverage
Network	TNT
Announcers	Jim Nantz , Bill Raftery , Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson
Nielsen Ratings	2.0 (national) U.S. viewership: 3.533 million

On March 16, 2018, during the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, the University of Virginia (Virginia; also UVA) Cavaliers and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers played a college basketball game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1. The Retrievers met the Cavaliers, who were ranked 16th in the South regional bracket and first overall in the NCAA Tournament.
2. Virginia and UMBC contended for the opportunity to meet the ninth-seeded Kansas State Wildcats, who had already defeated Creighton earlier in the day.
3. The Retrievers upset the Cavaliers 74–54, becoming the first No.16 seed in NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament history to overcome a No.1 seed.

It was only the second occasion in the history of collegiate basketball, after No.16 Harvard beat No.1 Stanford in the women’s tournament 20 years ago. Additionally, UMBC won its first NCAA Tournament game in school history. Virginia entered the game as a 20.5-point favorite, making UMBC’s triumph the second-largest upset in NCAA Tournament history in terms of point spread, after only Norfolk State’s shock of Missouri in 2012, when Missouri was a 21.5-point favorite.

Which seed is the highest to advance to the Sweet 16?

History of Lower Seeds and Their March Madness Advancement – #9 The furthest a No.9 seed has ever reached is to the Final Four, which happened in 2013 when Wichita State fell to eventual champion and No.1 seed Louisville. #10 The Final Four is the furthest a 10 seed has advanced in the NCAA Tournament.

• It has only occurred once, in 2016, when No.10 Syracuse completed the feat.
• Prior to then, the No.10 seeds had an Elite Eight record of 0-7.
• 11 UCLA in 2021, Loyola-Chicago in 2018, VCU in 2011, George Mason in 2006, and LSU in 1986 are the five 11 seeds that have reached the Final Four.
• The 11 is the highest seed to reach the Final Four as of 2022.

#12 Only two No.12 seeds have made it to the Elite Eight, but they are the highest seeds to do so. Oregon State Beavers in 2021 and Missouri Tigers in 2002. #13 Six No.13 seeds have advanced to the Sweet 16.2013 was the most recent year that La Salle reached this round.

Chattanooga in 1997 and Cleveland State in 1986 are the only No.14 seeds to get to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. #15 In 2013, Florida Gulf Coast became the first No.15 seed to go to the Sweet 16 after winning two playoff games. In 2021, Oral Roberts became the second. In 2022, St. Peter’s, coached by head coach Shaheen Halloway, became the first 15 seed to go to the Elite Eight before losing to eighth-seeded North Carolina.

#16 Everyone maintained that it was only a matter of time until a No.16 seed defeated a No.1 seed. In 2018, it came to pass, when the No.1 overall seed Virginia was eliminated by UMBC. The Cavaliers were defeated by a 20-point margin, which may have been the most surprising aspect (74-54).

How far have 16th-seeded teams advanced in March Madness?

How far does every seed grow?

Seed	R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, NF	Expected Number of Wins
13	31, 6, 0, 0, 0, 0	0.25
14	22, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0	0.17
15	10, 3, 1, 0, 0, 0	0.09
16	1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0	0.007

How far have 16th-seeded teams advanced in March Madness?

How far does every seed grow?

Seed	R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, NF	Expected Number of Wins
13	31, 6, 0, 0, 0, 0	0.25
14	22, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0	0.17
15	10, 3, 1, 0, 0, 0	0.09
16	1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0	0.007