2017–18 UMBC Retrievers men's basketball team

The 2017–18 UMBC Retrievers men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland, Baltimore County during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Retrievers, led by second-year head coach Ryan Odom as members of the America East Conference, started the season playing their home games at the Retriever Activities Center in Catonsville, Maryland, but moved to the new UMBC Event Center during the season. The new arena opened on February 3, 2018.^[1] UMBC beat UMass Lowell and Hartford to advance to the championship of the America East tournament where they defeated Vermont. As a result, the Retrievers received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 16 seed in the South region, they defeated the No. 1 overall seed Virginia by 20 points, becoming the first 16th-seeded team to beat a No. 1 seed.^[2] The win is considered one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history and sports history depending on seedings or point spreads.^[3][4] The Retrievers lost to Kansas State in the second round.

2017–18 UMBC Retrievers men's basketball
America East tournament champions Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland champions
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	America East Conference
Record	25–11 (12–4 America East)
Head coach	Ryan Odom (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	Nate Dixon Eric Skeeters Bryce Crawford
Home arena	Retriever Activities Center UMBC Event Center
Seasons ← 2016–17 2018–19 →

2017–18 America East Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Vermont	15	–	1		.938			27	–	8		.771
UMBC †	12	–	4		.750			25	–	11		.694
Hartford	11	–	5		.688			19	–	14		.576
Albany	10	–	6		.625			22	–	10		.688
Stony Brook	7	–	9		.438			13	–	19		.406
New Hampshire	6	–	10		.375			10	–	21		.323
UMass Lowell	6	–	10		.375			12	–	18		.400
Maine	3	–	13		.188			6	–	26		.188
Binghamton	2	–	14		.125			11	–	20		.355
† 2018 America East tournament winner

Previous season

The Retrievers finished the 2016–17 season 21–13, 9–7 in America East play to finish in fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the America East tournament to New Hampshire. They received an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Fairfield, Saint Francis (PA), and Liberty to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, they lost to Texas A&M–Corpus Christi.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Daquon Erwin	0	G	6'0"	185	Sophomore	Brooklyn, NY	Transferred to Mercy College
Ben Grace	3	G	5'10"	180	Senior	Baltimore, MD	Walk-on; graduated
Joel Wincowski	4	G	6'2"	200	Sophomore	Lake George, NY	Transferred to Indiana Tech
Will Darley	12	G	6'8"	210	Senior	Timonium, MD	Graduated
Rodney Elliot	1	G	6'1"	190	Senior	Baltimore, MD	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Max Portmann	34	F	6'8"	220	Junior	Wichita Falls, TX	Junior college transferree from Temple College

2017 incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dan Akin PF	Etham, England	Barking Abbey School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	Jun 27, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Brandon Horvath PF	Harwood, MD	Kent School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	May 9, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 22, 2017.

Preseason

In a poll by the conference's nine head coaches (who were not allowed to pick their own team) at the America East media day, the Retrievers were picked to finish third in the America East.^[5] Senior Jairus Lyles was named to the preseason All-America East team.^[6]

Roster

2017–18 UMBC Retrievers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 1 Josh Rosario 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Miami Christian School Miami, FL G 4 Ishmail Jabbie (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Eleanor Roosevelt HS Bowie, MD G 5 Jourdan Grant 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Archbishop Spalding HS Bowie, MD G 10 Jairus Lyles 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS Sr DeMatha HS Silver Spring, MD G 11 K. J. Maura 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 140 lb (64 kg) RS Sr Arlington Country Day School College of Central Florida San Juan, PR G 12 Brandon Horvath 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Southern HS West River, MD G 13 Joe Sherburne 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Whitefish Bay HS Whitefish Bay, WI G 17 Devon Scott 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Page HS Greensboro, NC F/C 21 Sam Schwietz 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Johnson Ferry Christian Academy Frisco, TX F 23 Max Curran 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Pembroke Academy Hooksett, NH G 25 David Park (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Fr Wheeling Central Catholic HS Wheeling, WV F 30 Daniel Akin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Barking Abbey School Eltham, England G/F 33 Arkel Lamar 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So St. Thomas More School Bridgeport, CT F 34 Max Portmann 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr S. H. Rider HS Wichita Falls, TX F/C 35 Nolan Gerrity 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Barea-Midpark HS Cleveland, OH	Head coach Ryan Odom (Hampden–Sydney) Assistant coach(es) Nate Dixon (UNC Wilmington) Eric Skeeters (Coppin State) Bryce Crawford (Ohio State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN3		at SMU Battle 4 Atlantis	L 67–78	0–1	Moody Coliseum (6,841) University Park, TX
Nov 12, 2017* 6:00 pm, P12N		at No. 3 Arizona Battle 4 Atlantis	L 78–103	0–2	McKale Center (13,496) Tucson, AZ
Nov 16, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Central Penn	W 93–62	1–2	Retriever Activities Center (994) Catonsville, MD
Nov 19, 2017* 7:00 pm, Stadium		at Colgate	L 88–93	1–3	Cotterell Court (303) Hamilton, NY
Nov 23, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPN3		Chicago State Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland semifinals	W 84–73	2–3	Retriever Activities Center (334) Catonsville, MD
Nov 24, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN3		Nicholls State Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland championship game	W 89–88	3–3	Retriever Activities Center (489) Catonsville, MD
Nov 27, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPN3		Shenandoah	W 88–59	4–3	Retriever Activities Center (391) Catonsville, MD
Dec 1, 2017* 5:00 pm		vs. Army Bulldog Bash semifinals	L 70–81	4–4	McAlister Field House (609) Charleston, SC
Dec 2, 2017* 3:00, ESPN3		vs. The Citadel Bulldog Bash	W 98–72	5–4	McAlister Field House (673) Charleston, SC
Dec 6, 2017* 7:30 pm		at Delaware State	W 81–60	6–4	Memorial Hall (847) Dover, DE
Dec 9, 2017* 2:00 pm		at Towson Battle for Greater Baltimore	L 65–78	6–5	SECU Arena (1,632) Towson, MD
Dec 12, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Coppin State	W 81–74	7–5	Retriever Activities Center (1,166) Catonsville, MD
Dec 17, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPN3		Northern Kentucky	W 76–75	8–5	Retriever Activities Center (781) Catonsville, MD
Dec 29, 2017* 8:00 pm, FS1		at Maryland	L 45–66	8–6	Xfinity Center (14,118) College Park, MD
Dec 31, 2017* 1:00 pm, ESPN3		Centenary (NJ)	W 85–41	9–6	Retriever Activities Center (697) Catonsville, MD
America East regular season
Jan 3, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		New Hampshire	W 71–67	10–6 (1–0)	Retriever Activities Center (518) Catonsville, MD
Jan 6, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN3		at Vermont	L 56–71	10–7 (1–1)	Patrick Gym (2,734) Burlington, VT
Jan 10, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Maine	W 72–67	11–7 (2–1)	Cross Insurance Center (906) Bangor, ME
Jan 13, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN3		at UMass Lowell	W 89–62	12–7 (3–1)	Tsongas Center (1,338) Lowell, MA
Jan 15, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN3		Hartford	W 78–56	13–7 (4–1)	Retriever Activities Center (744) Catonsville, MD
Jan 21, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3		at Albany	L 39–83	13–8 (4–2)	SEFCU Arena (2,508) Albany, NY
Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Binghamton	W 69–57	14–8 (5–2)	Retriever Activities Center (619) Catonsville, MD
Jan 27, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN3		Maine	W 86–74	15–8 (6–2)	Retriever Activities Center (808) Catonsville, MD
Jan 31, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Stony Brook	W 67–63	16–8 (7–2)	Island Federal Credit Union Arena (2,379) Stony Brook, NY
Feb 3, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN3		Vermont	L 53–81	16–9 (7–3)	UMBC Event Center (4,753) Catonsville, MD
Feb 8, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Binghamton	W 78–68	17–9 (8–3)	Binghamton University Events Center (1,901) Vestal, NY
Feb 11, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN3		at New Hampshire	W 68–59	18–9 (9–3)	Lundholm Gym (839) Durham, NH
Feb 18, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN3		Albany	W 68–60	19–9 (10–3)	UMBC Event Center (1,344) Catonsville, MD
Feb 21, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Stony Brook	L 57–64	19–10 (10–4)	UMBC Event Center (1,002) Catonsville, MD
Feb 24, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN3		UMass Lowell	W 83–75	20–10 (11–4)	UMBC Event Center (1,253) Catonsville, MD
Feb 27, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Hartford	W 62–53	21–10 (12–4)	Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (2,036) Hartford, CT
America East tournament
Mar 3, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN3	(2)	(7) UMass Lowell Quarterfinals	W 89–77	22–10	UMBC Event Center (1,518) Catonsville, MD
Mar 6, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPN3	(2)	(3) Hartford Semifinals	W 75–60	23–10	UMBC Event Center (2,234) Catonsville, MD
Mar 10, 2018 11:00 am, ESPN2	(2)	at (1) Vermont Championship	W 65–62	24–10	Patrick Gym (3,266) Burlington, VT
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2018* 9:20 pm, TNT	(16 S)	vs. (1 S) No. 1 Virginia First Round	W 74–54	25–10	Spectrum Center (17,943) Charlotte, NC
Mar 18, 2018* 7:45 pm, truTV	(16 S)	vs. (9 S) Kansas State Second Round	L 43–50	25–11	Spectrum Center (18,485) Charlotte, NC
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Eastern Time.

^[7]

References

1. Shaffer, Jonas (January 24, 2018). . The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
2. "UMBC vs. Virginia - Game Recap - March 16, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
3. Reed, Steve (March 17, 2018). "No. 16 UMBC stuns No. 1 Virginia 74–54 to make NCAA history". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
4. Biggest NCAA tournament upsets of the 64-team era, accessed on March 18, 2018
5. "Coming off Historic Season, Vermont Unanimously Chosen as 2017–18 #AEHoops Men's Favorite". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
6. "7 Returning Men's #AEHoops Standouts Highlight 2017–18 Preseason All-Conference Squad". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
7. UMBC Retrievers men's basketball schedule