Special SI Digital Cover: No. 16 UMBC Over No. 1 Virginia Will Change March Madness Forever

We couldn’t resist the chance to commemorate this moment while it’s still so fresh—so we put together the cover that UMBC—and college basketball history—deserves.

This Monday, Sports Illustrated's MLB preview issue comes out, but the biggest story this weekend has been the University of Maryland Baltimore County's historic upset over No. 1 Virginia. 

Since, No. 16 UMBC is the first school to ever beat a No. 1 seed in the men's NCAA tournament, the hype around the win hasn't stopped. You'll likely always have this game marked as the greatest March Madness memory ever. 

We couldn’t resist the chance to commemorate this moment while it’s still so fresh—so we put together the cover that UMBC—and college basketball history—deserves.

The victory wasn't simply a buzzer-beater shot that ended on some good ol' March Madness luck—it was a complete thrashing of the country's overall No. 1 squad. The Retrievers and Cavaliers were tied at halftime, but UMBC broke away in the second half and never looked back. It was never close again, and UMBC held a 20-point lead to close the game and win 74–54. Jairus Lyles led the scoring for the Retrievers with 28 points and three assists. 

Twitter couldn't believe what was happening as the game played out and UMBC's own Twitter account had a field day with game, earning thousands of new followers in the process. 

Little Caesers even bet on the impossible and now owes America free pizza as a result. 

It was one of those moments that makes our job easy: an amazing moment for an underdog team with talent, the kind of group that’s easy to root for. This isn't the first special digital cover we’ve done—the U.S. women's national team earned also earn a special digital cover for their remarkable feat in winning the 2015 Women's World Cup—but when a team conquers the world’s biggest stage like UMBC did on Friday, it's a no-brainer to offer a rare tribute to a historic sports moment.