NCAA Tournament Cinderella goes viral with social media jab at Alabama Football

The UMBC Retrievers are headed back to the NCAA Tournament, and they wasted little time reviving one of college sports’ favorite traditions by trolling the Alabama Crimson Tide on social media.

The first 16-seeded school to knock off a No. 1 secured its return to March Madness on Saturday with a 74-59 victory over Vermont in the America East championship game. The win sends the Retrievers into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since their historic 2018 run. 

Shortly after clinching the bid, UMBC’s athletics account took a playful swipe at Alabama, referencing the Crimson Tide’s 38-3 loss to Indiana Hoosiers football in the 2025 Rose Bowl Game.

We would want to challenge a relevant winning program, so we will challenge @IndianaFootball https://t.co/OSu9kDsOSx

Just saying hello, we've be having some fun with No.1 teams lately, we don't have a football team, though

The post reverts to UMBC’s social media tone from 2018, when the program gained national attention after stunning Virginia. They made history behind Jarius Lyles and K.J. Maura. 

This year’s team, which is coached by Jim Ferry, enters the tournament with a 23-8 record. It marks the program’s best season since the 2017-18 squad that made history during March Madness.

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UMBC is seeking its second NCAA Tournament victory after defeating Virginia before falling to Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball in the Round of 32 that year.

The Retrievers’ are clearly in good spirits, but it adds another layer of personality to a program that has built a reputation on pulling out upsets. If the tournament delivers more chaos, UMBC may again find itself at the center of the conversation.

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