UMBC’s basketball team is the men’s college basketball program of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, known as the UMBC Retrievers, who compete in NCAA Division I.

Who UMBC Basketball Is

  • UMBC stands for University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a public research university near Baltimore.
  • The men’s basketball team is called the Retrievers and plays in the America East Conference at the Division I level.
  • The program began in the 1967–68 season and moved up to NCAA Division I in 1986–87.

Why They’re Famous

  • UMBC is best known for its historic 2018 March Madness upset, when the Retrievers, a No. 16 seed, beat No. 1 seed Virginia 74–54.
  • That victory was the first time in NCAA men’s tournament history that a 16 seed defeated a 1 seed, and it is often called one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history.

Recent March Madness Note

  • UMBC has made multiple NCAA tournament appearances, including its first Division I trip in 2008 after winning the America East tournament.
  • The team returned to the NCAA tournament again in 2018, and more recently made another appearance in 2026 after winning the America East championship under coach Jim Ferry.

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Item Details
Full name UMBC Retrievers men’s basketball
School University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Level NCAA Division I
Conference America East Conference
Program start 1967–68 season
Most famous moment 2018: 16-seed UMBC beats 1-seed Virginia 74–54 in NCAA tournament
First NCAA D-I berth 2008, after winning America East tournament
**TL;DR:** UMBC’s basketball team is the Division I UMBC Retrievers, a mid-major program best known for their legendary 2018 upset of top-seeded Virginia in the NCAA tournament.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.