Is UMBC's win over top-seed Virginia the biggest upset in college basketball, sports history?
Virginia's shocking, 20-point loss to Maryland-Baltimore County on Friday night, the first time a No. 1 seed lost to a No. 16 seed since the NCAA expanded the tournament to 64 teams in 1985, is the biggest upset, seed-wise, in NCAA tournament history.
But is it the biggest upset in college basketball history? Is it the biggest upset in sports history? Fans flocked to Twitter late Friday and early Saturday to chime in.
First, in terms of college basketball history, UMBC's upset was only the second-best in terms of point spread in NCAA tournament history, according to ESPN.
In 2012, No. 15 seed Norfolk State defeated No. 2 seed Missouri 86-84 as a 21.5-point underdog. UMBC was a 20.5-point underdog. The third-best upset came in 1993 when No. 15 seed Santa Clara defeated No. 2 seed Arizona 64-61 as a 20-point underdog.
Duke has two of the top 17 biggest upsets. In 2014, No. 14 seed Mercer beat the third-seeded Blue Devils 78-71 as a 13-point underdog.
In the only non-round of 64 upset in the top 17, No. 1 seed Duke lost 74-73 to No. 5 seed Indiana in the round of 16 as a 13-point favorite.
Many fans on Twitter also questioned whether it was the biggest upset in Virginia history. The 1982-83 Cavaliers, led by 7-4 Ralph Sampson and ranked No. 1, lost 77-72 to Chaminade, then an NAIA team, in a holiday tournament in Hawaii on Dec. 23, 1982.
Some fans believe it is N.C. State's 1983 win over Houston in the NCAA championship game.
Fans had other ideas in questioning if it was the biggest upset in sports history.
Upsets such as the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. hockey team's shocking win over Russia in the Winter Olympics; unheralded Buster Douglas' win over undefeated heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in 1990 (Tyson was allegedly a 42-1 favorite); and the New York Jets, led by guarantee-making QB Joe Namath, beat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.
The 2007 New York Giants defeating the perfection-seeking New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and the 2004 Boston Red Sox overcoming a 3-0 deficit to shock the rival New York Yankees were also popular choices.
Closer to home, some believe Appalachian State's college football win over Michigan at the Big House in 2007 as the biggest in college football history.
Soccer fans were touting the United States beating England 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup, and Leicester City winning the British Premier League title in 2015-16 after being on the cusp of relegation.
Some tweeters even took polls.
Despite what others believe, Virginia losing by 20 points to an America East team after dominating the ACC has many believing it was the biggest upset.
What is certain, is that the Cavaliers missed out on a golden opportunity to put themselves among the ACC's best in history.
This story was originally published March 17, 2018 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Is UMBC's win over top-seed Virginia the biggest upset in college basketball, sports history?."