UMBC men’s basketball won on and off the court last night
Mar 17, 2018, 1:25 PM | Updated: 2:00 pm
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Just like its mascot, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers stole America’s heart on Friday.
And as they became the first 16-seed to upset a 1-seed in men’s NCAA Tournament history, the UMBC Twitter account won off the court.
PUT SOME RESPECK ON IT! WE HAVE DEFEATED NO.1 OVERALL SEED VIRGINIA 74-54
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018
They were just having a good time.
At the half UMBC 21, No.1 Virginia 21. This is fun. Y’all havin fun? We’re havin fun
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018
Just havin fun https://t.co/WdYLjZS9HF
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018
Some tweets seemed breathless and were more about food than basketball, exactly the way a real dog might tweet.
It’s v v loud in here, either cuz they just restocked the hot dogs or because we are up 45-29 with 11:39 to go
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018
We’re up 17 with 3:29 to go thanks to a Lamar three, BUT the media dining is out of cookies and this is the worst day ever
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018
And they even made a friend.
OMG WENDYS TWEETED US
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018
The account didn’t stop; the next morning, it made sure to wish everyone a good morning, even Seth Davis, the CBS Sports reporter who tweeted “Virginia. Sharpie.” a minute into the game.
Good Morning to Everyone, even @SethDavisHoops
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018
Again, just like a real dog, they don’t hold grudges.
Speaking of real dogs, we’re still waiting to hear what the Twitter-favorite Thoughts of Dogs has to say about this victory. It hasn’t tweeted as of noon today, but the viral account is probably still performing its afternoon snoozle after all the cuddles last night.
UMBC did get a message from the 2018 Undefeated National College Football Champions, though.
Amazing what happens when an under “dog” gets a fair shot in an expanded playoff 😏
Congrats on the history, @UMBCAthletics ✊
— UCF Knights (@UCFKnights) March 17, 2018
The UMBC athletics Twitter account began the game with 5,000 followers. A little more than 15 hours later, it eclipsed 75,000 total. Follow now before Retriever Twitter hits you with a comeback so brutal you delete your whole account.
Cool, we’ll show you the box score from our game tonight if you show us yours? https://t.co/XvI8zLVgnJ
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018