'I was just so in shock:' A player from the biggest upset in March Madness remembers the 'wild' night he helped make history

• In 2018, UMBC became the first 16 seed to upset a 1 seed in the men's NCAA Tournament.
• Joe Sherburne, a starting forward for UMBC, told Insider he was in "shock" during the game.

Joe Sherburne had approached the 2018 NCAA Tournament like any other game, never really stopping to think if 16th-seeded University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) could beat No. 1 Virginia, the best team in the tournament.

But then, in the second half, UMBC piled it on against one of the nation's best defenses, taking a 45-29 lead with just over 11 minutes to go.

That's when the reality of an historic upset set in for Sherburne.

"I'm just thinking, How on earth are we gonna hold onto this?" Sherburne recalled during a phone interview with Insider. "Like, we have to hold onto this. This is so insane. We cannot blow this lead."

He added, "I remember being [in] timeouts on the bench and not even being really able to absorb what our coach was saying because I was just so in shock."

Sherburne chipped in 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, with six rebounds, as UMBC went on to win, 74-54, becoming the first 16-seed to ever knock off a 1-seed in men's NCAA Tournament history.

The upset sent the tournament (and brackets everywhere) into shambles, as 16-seeds were 0-135 in the men's tournament entering that game. A 16-seed has only beaten a 1-seed once in the women's tournament.

Afterward, a celebration unfolded in the UMBC locker room, as the reality flooded over the players. Sherburne checked his phone and had 75 unread texts from friends and family. The team stayed in the locker room until 1:30 AM, fulfilling media obligations and then eating dinner.

The team later went back to its hotel, where the players were greeted by their fans. They ordered Domino's to their hotel rooms, but Sherburne was too full of adrenaline to eat. He stayed up and watched "SportsCenter" for three hours before attempting to go to sleep.

Sherburne says he is often asked if celebratory drinks were had, a question he almost finds laughable.

"People ask that a lot, and it's like, No, we're in the hotel. We have a game in like 36 hours, the biggest game of our life," Sherburne said. "And we're all underage. Everybody recognizes us. We all only have UMBC gear on us. We can't go to the bar."

UMBC's Cinderella run didn't last long — they lost to Kansas State in the next game.

Their celebrity did last for a while afterward, however. Under Armour sent each of the players shoes, courtesy of Stephen Curry — though Sherburne is skeptical.

"I know he made an Instagram post, but he didn't actually send the shoes," Sherburne said.

They also met with a Fortnite executive, and Sherburne later received a message from Aaron Rodgers, which he called "cool."

Now a financial advisor in Wisconsin, Sherburne said the historic win still comes up when he meets people. Sherburne said friends often introduce him to new people as a member of the 16-seed that beat a 1-seed. And colleagues still ask him about the win, particularly now with March Madness about to start.

Sherburne has a group text with a few members from that UMBC team, but he said the win over Virginia "almost never" comes up.

Still, he is protective of the history UMBC made.

"All I know is I root hard for the 1-seeds, because I don't want any other 16-seeds to win," Sherburne said. "I wanna remain the only one."