No. 16 UMBC beats No. 1 Virginia: How the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history happened

It took 136 tries, but a No. 16 seed finally toppled a No. 1 in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. 

UMBC took down Virginia 74-54 on Friday night in the first round in what might rank as the biggest upset in college basketball history.

Here's what to know about the historic game:

It was a complete blowout

UMBC — that's the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, although you definitely knew that, right? — didn't just beat the Cavaliers on Friday night, they darn near ran them out of the gym. The game was tied at halftime before the Retrievers (yes, the Retrievers) began to pour it on in the second half. By the game's waning minutes, UMBC was draining threes and scoring easy layups as their bench went nuts, and a stunned UVA squad was helpless to stop them.

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Jairus Lyles played the half of his life

The Retrievers' senior guard — a player who had seen previous stints at VCU and Robert Morris — went on a tear in the second half, scoring the bulk of his 28 points as UMBC built their lead. He finished 9 of 11 shooting, and was 3 of 4 from behind the arc, with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

And get this: He's the son of two Virginia alums.

UMBC was the 188th-ranked team in the country

That's according to Kenpom.com. Virginia was No. 1. And that, folks, is why they call it madness.