UMBC Returns To NCAA Tournament For First Time Since 2018
Stories
Cinderella better find her slippers because UMBC is going dancing again! With a 74-59 win over no. 2 University of Vermont on Saturday, UMBC men’s basketball will return to NCAA Tournament play for the first time since 2018. They also clinched another America East title before a packed home court at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. Selection Sunday results are in and
our Retrievers will be taking on Howard University for a play-in game
on Tuesday in Dayton. This will be the third NCAA tournament appearance for UMBC.
Cheer on the team at a watch party
A showdown between the Retrievers and the Catamounts is one supporters have come to eagerly anticipate each season. Vermont won nine of the last 12 overall matchups prior to Saturday’s win and this was the teams’ fifth battle for the America East Championship. And despite Vermont’s no. 1 ranking and UMBC’s no. 7 in the America East preseason poll, the Retrievers proved once again never to count out an underdog.
DJ Armstrong Jr.
, the America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player, scored a career high 33 points on 9-11 shooting, including 20 second-half points to push the Retrievers to victory.
Fans cheered wildly in a packed ‘Peake, AKA Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
Even before Saturday’s victory, UMBC already inked its place in athletics history by producing  the men’s basketball’s best conference regular season in program history. The win against UVM marks the 12th straight win for the Retrievers and sets a new all-time program record.
“This achievement is a credit to these guys, who are a selfless group who just really cares about playing basketball,” said head men’s basketball coach
Jim Ferry
. “To be rewarded with that and leave a mark at UMBC is special, and I think they are all very proud of that.”
Shooting their shot
Fans (and strangers) may recall
UMBC’s historic upset in 2018
when they became the first men’s no. 16 seed to overthrow a no. 1 seed in NCAA history. Besting UVM in the America East final this year was especially reminiscent of that legendary season when UMBC also prevailed against Vermont. Since getting their first taste of March Madness success, the Retrievers have been fighting doggedly to return to the national stage. This season, the hard work paid off.
Three Retrievers made the America East All-Conference Team. Junior guard
Jah’Likai King
was named First Team, while graduate student guard
DJ Armstrong Jr.
, and junior guard
Ace Valentine
earned Second Team honors. This marks the first time since 2021 – 22 that the Retrievers have had three players recognized on one of the three All-Conference teams.
Leading his players by example, Ferry was also named America East’s Coach of the Year. He racked up his 400th career win at Maine earlier in the season and is the first coach in UMBC’s program history to do so.
Guard Bryce Johnson celebrates the win with a well-earned high five.
In good company
Far from the only team to impress the crowds, women’s basketball stunned with buzzer beaters and dramatic come-from-behind victories this season. Setting the stage in the
quarterfinals against NJIT
, junior Jade Tillman dropped a bucket with one second left on the clock to advance the Retrievers to the semifinals with a score of 66-65. The Retrievers have been selected to play in the
2026 Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
In the
America East Semifinals
, UMBC women’s basketball took on top-seeded Vermont on the road on Monday, March 9. Despite an exhausting double overtime thriller, UMBC ultimately conceded to the Catamounts with a score of 68-65 to close out the season.
In February, the Retrievers cracked open the record books to add
two more milestones
to the history of UMBC Athletics. For the first time, the women’s track and field team captured the America East Indoor Championship title. In addition, the men’s swimming and diving team reclaimed their America East title for the first time since 2023. This marks their 15th win in 20 seasons. Junior
Ashley Gutshall
, history, competed in the
NCAA swimming and diving championships
, the first Retriever to qualify for NCAA’s since 2017.
Check
umbcretrievers.com
for all updates and be ready to cheer on #RetrieverNation!
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