UMBC headed to NCAA Tournament for first time since historic 2018 upset

What do the UMBC Retrievers have in store for their second act?

On Saturday, UMBC (24-8, 14-2 in America East) clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament, which begins with the First Four on Tuesday, thanks to a 74-59 win over the Vermont Catamounts (22-12, 12-4 in America East) in the conference tournament title game. It's the program's first time going dancing since 2018, when it made history as the first 16-seed to beat a 1-seed since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

Senior guard DJ Armstrong Jr. led all scorers with 33 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 7-of-9 on three-point attempts. The Retrievers outscored the Catamounts by 33 on threes and free throws, offsetting a 32-20 disadvantage in points in the paint.

UMBC will look to make more history in 2026 NCAA Tournament

UMBC, No. 202 in NET rankings entering Saturday, is likely to be a 16-seed when the official March Madness bracket is set on Sunday, which would give it a chance to become the first program to pull off the massive upset twice. That might seem like a stretch, but so does getting struck by lightning seven times. Weirder things have happened.

The Retrievers are one of the country's hottest teams, winners of 18 of their last 20, including 12 in a row, the second-longest active streak in Division I. They haven't lost since Jan. 29.

Per KenPom, UMBC does a good job of protecting the ball, ranking No. 27 in the country in turnover rate (14.1 percent). It's also strong on the defensive glass, averaging 27.3 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks 19th.

Armstrong is shooting 42 percent from three-point range, while the team should expect more in the NCAA Tournament from Jah'Likai King, who leads the team in points but went scoreless on 0-of-8 shooting on Saturday.

UMBC has had a long wait getting back to the dance. This year's team has big shoes to fill. Like a true Cinderella, we'll have to see if it fits.