UMBC's NCAA Tournament Celebration Continues With Party On Campus
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The history-making University of Maryland, Baltimore County men's basketball team got some well-deserved recognition with a party on campus Tuesday.
The team's take down of No. 1 seed Virginia during their March Madness matchup had people believing UMBC stood for U Must Be Cinderella.
RELATED: UMBC Defeats #1 Seed Virginia In Greatest NCAA Tournament Upset Ever
WJZ was on campus for the historic upset.
"Everyone is excited as heck, you know?" one student at a watch party said.
"I can barely breathe, like I can barely breathe!" another said.
Though the team kept it close, the run ended after their loss to Kansas State.
RELATED: UMBC's Historic NCAA Tournament Run Ends With Loss To Kansas State
But it didn't seem to matter -- Retriever Nation was already put on the map.
"You tell people where you went to school and they are like 'What is that, a community college? And now you don't have to tell them," UMBC alumni Shannon Jackson said
On Monday night, Gov. Larry Hogan honored the team at a special reception at his home.
RELATED: Annapolis Goes To The Dogs With Ceremony Honoring UMBC Retrievers
The meet-and-greet also included some bragging rights for the governor.
"My bracket had you going all the way!" Hogan said.
As for the players, they've been enjoying the ride.
"It's a dream come true and I'm just happy to spend it with these guys," UMBC guard Jairus Lyles said.
As for Coach Ryan Odom, he seems like he's not going anywhere in the near future.
"We're so excited about the opportunity to continue to lead these guys," he said.
UMBC's president said he's also excited about all the attention, but he's also eager to remind the world their school is about so much more.
"They get to see the substance of the academics and they see great athletics, great academics, pride from the state, pride from the country, all over the nation people are calling saying, 'What about those Retrievers?'" Freeman Hrabowski III said.
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