Virginia - number 1 overall seed.. UMBC... arguably the weakest 16 seed in years and years



  • If the ncaa tourney format were a 2 of 3 game series, or 3 of 5, Virginia would bounce back and win. But now they will go down in history as the first 1 seed to lose to a 16. Hard to shake that moniker. Virginia will live with it forever.

    sooooo Glad it wasn’t us - glad penn didn’t shoot the lights out while we went dead cold.

    This is a great example of why college age kids winning 6 games in a row is so damn hard. Luck plays a huge part as with everything else. I love the tourney, but it is NERVE-RACKING, and the older I get, the more nerve-racking it gets for me. Because KU is perennially a top tier team, not making the final weekend is always seen (and feels Like) a big downer way to end what had been a fun, often glorious season (14 conference championships in a row etc, great KU players, the fun, the magic… the whole wonderful experience of being a fan of arguably the greatest college bball program in history.) wish I could find a way to just enjoy it more rather that be full of nerves… part of it is also the impending knowledge that come what may, November 2018 when our boys start playing again is a LONG way away - although being Nat. Champs would make that wait SO much more fun lol.

    One game at a time I suppose, and take it for what it is… the big ups, and the big downs. Find a way to win and play hard, and hope a few bounces and shots go your way. Completely abandon any thinking like “…wait we should be beating these guys by 30!! …”

    I am going to be super pumped and positive today 😉 and on to the final four!



  • I’d rather be lucky than good. ~Lefty Gomez



  • I think KU played UMBC some 20 years back. This is what makes the tournament fun and terribly sad. Finally, the first number one seed to lose threat is over and I won’t have to worry as much every year when we are a number one seed. RCJH



  • @stoptheflop yep - me too - always that thought creeping in… especially when KU was down 10 to the Ivy leaguers



  • alt text



  • Wasn’t Durant’s new shoes named “The Shortcut”? Always finds the easy path…

    I loved OKC Durant. GS Durant is going to take awhile to grow on me.



  • @Bosthawk The mighty ACC champion goes down in flames. The flags at ESPN are flying at half-mast today.



  • ESPN has no love for UVA. They are licking their lips and moving a couple eggs over to the Dukey/UNC baskets.

    I’m sure they’re more than happy that this trumped up label of “first to lose to a 16 seed” can be bestowed on a team other than their beloved Blue Devils; expect reminders every time you watch UVA from here until forever.



  • @Bosthawk I hear you. I am embarrased to admit how angry i get when we bow out. It is just a game with not-yet men pulling our heart strings. I may skip the elite 8 game if we get there just so i dont lose whats left of my mind 😁!



  • Bosthawk said:

    If the ncaa tourney format were a 2 of 3 game series, or 3 of 5, Virginia would bounce back and win. But now they will go down in history as the first 1 seed to lose to a 16. Hard to shake that moniker. Virginia will live with it forever.

    sooooo Glad it wasn’t us - glad penn didn’t shoot the lights out while we went dead cold.

    This is a great example of why college age kids winning 6 games in a row is so damn hard. Luck plays a huge part as with everything else. I love the tourney, but it is NERVE-RACKING, and the older I get, the more nerve-racking it gets for me. Because KU is perennially a top tier team, not making the final weekend is always seen (and feels Like) a big downer way to end what had been a fun, often glorious season (14 conference championships in a row etc, great KU players, the fun, the magic… the whole wonderful experience of being a fan of arguably the greatest college bball program in history.) wish I could find a way to just enjoy it more rather that be full of nerves… part of it is also the impending knowledge that come what may, November 2018 when our boys start playing again is a LONG way away - although being Nat. Champs would make that wait SO much more fun lol.

    One game at a time I suppose, and take it for what it is… the big ups, and the big downs. Find a way to win and play hard, and hope a few bounces and shots go your way. Completely abandon any thinking like “…wait we should be beating these guys by 30!! …”

    I am going to be super pumped and positive today 😉 and on to the final four!

    Great time to point out reality and feelings. l actually was pulling for other Big 12 teams for a first time. Well not, West Virginia but they had a big lead when l turned on the tube.



  • Thank you, Virginia. I think there will be less infamy in being the second #1 to lose to a #16



  • One might argue we are the biggest beneficiaries of this! We get more #1’s than most. Should relieve the pressure of “stigma” if not the pressure of “not losing” which will remain.

    stoptheflop said:

    I think KU played UMBC some 20 years back. This is what makes the tournament fun and terribly sad. Finally, the first number one seed to lose threat is over and I won’t have to worry as much every year when we are a number one seed. RCJH



  • @Bwag I hate that we, not me, worry about that!



  • I love the various aspects of the game last night. Lyles was eligible to transfer as a graduate student. His parents, both Virginia grads, counseled him against doing so even though, from what I read, Florida and Ours Truly KU had reached out to him. I was sitting next to my daughters boyfriend watching the game and he’s from Virginia, his brother wrestles for the university of Virginia, so I was hiding my glee a little bit. But I was also texting back and forth with a friend who played for UMBC’s womens team a few years back and she of course was ecstatic.

    As for us, even though I was stressed about today, we’d had too many puzzling losses this year for me to get overstressed about it. Assuming we survive our next round, we’ll make another elite 8 and go up against Duke or MSU and possibly bow out and while it will suck to loss to either, we’ll have some satisfaction that we were one of 8 teams out of 350 to survive that long.



  • @Bwag But overall, is this good for us because it would reduce the stigma of a loss, or really horrible because like the first atom bomb once something has been shown to be possible it is easier for someone else to duplicate it?



  • We are not going to ever lose to a 16 seed as a #1!



  • @Crimsonorblue22

    You are probably correct. If there was a year, this would have been it playing a heavily under seeded, disciplined team in Penn. I understand Penn was the #16 team with the highest percentage of bets and bracket picks to upset a #1 ever.


Log in to reply