New Headline: Crimson Tide Basketball Fever Sparks Protests on Reddit About Playoff Semifinals
Everyone wants Bama now.
NCAA Tournament Cinderella goes viral with social media jab at Alabama Football originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . 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 — UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 14, 2026 Just saying hello, we've be having some fun with No.
1 teams lately, we don't have a football team, though — UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) April 7, 2018 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.