Conference title heroics send UMBC to first NCAA tournament in 10 years

There may not be anything more thrilling in the days leading up to Selection Sunday than a tournament bid sealed at the buzzer, and that's exactly how UMBC won its first conference title since 2008.

After trailing for much of Saturday's America East championship, UMBC kept Vermont within striking distance until the death knell sounded for the Catamounts. The ball reached the hands of Retrievers guard Jairus Lyles as the final seconds of a tie game ticked away, and the senior did not miss his chance to end the program's decade-long NCAA tournament drought.

Best Win: UMBC notched a number of quality wins including a trio of victories over Hartford that ultimately locked up its No. 2 conference tournament seed, but there's no topping its most recent victory in terms of significance. Vermont won both meetings between the two during the regular season, which made the dramatics of Saturday's win even sweeter for UMBC.

Season Summary: UMBC stumbled out of the gate to begin the season against tough competition in SMU and an even more dominant Arizona team ranked No. 3 in the nation at the time. Despite finishing regular-season play with no better than a three-game winning streak, the Retrievers avoided consecutive losses throughout to post a 12-4 record in conference play.

Before he became Vermont's executioner, Lyles was the backbone of the program this season. The senior led the team in scoring with an average of 19.9 points per contest along with 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals, seconded by the 11.5 points and 5.3 assists from fellow senior guard K.J. Maura.

UMBC will be looking for its first-ever NCAA tournament victory, as its only previous appearance resulted in a 66-47 loss to No. 2 Georgetown in 2008.