This year’s NCAA March Madness Tournament was, yet again, one for the books. The University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers (UMBC) kicked it off with an upset victory over the no. 1 seed, Virginia.

This was the first time in NCAA history that a number no. 1 seed was eliminated in a first round game. Virginia had 15 games where they allowed 53 points or fewer all season. The Retrievers ended that streak in under 20 minutes.

Virginia is on the losing end of a 135-1 record for elite teams in the first round. More history was made as this year’s cinderella team sparked the nation. The Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago took down Miami and no. 3 seed, Tennessee.

The Ramblers entered the tournament for the first time since 1985, then advanced to the Sweet 16 where returning finalist Gonzaga took an upset loss against Florida State to end their resurgence.

Kentucky suffered a heartbreaking three-point loss against no. 9 seed, Kansas State. K-State’s Barry Brown Jr. made a clutch layup to put the Wildcats up two points with 18 seconds left in the game to advance to the Elite Eight.

That afternoon started with the East regional game where no. 3 Texas Tech took on no.1 ranked Villanova. The Wildcats’ fierce tournament reign came to an end with a score of 71-59 in favor of consecutive Final Four returnees, Villanova.

Although the Wildcats brought home the victory, they posted their worst shooting performance of the tournament. Connecting only four of his 24 three-point attempts and going 19 of 57 overall against Tech, the Big East Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson, wasn’t as effective as he was earlier in the tournament. However, he still played a large role in the Wildcat victory by posting six rebounds and four assists with eight points in the final 30 minutes.

The Southern Regional bracket of the Elite Eight is where more history was made for the Missouri Valley Conference when no. 11 seed, Loyola Chicago, went up against the Wildcats of Kansas State.

Although the Wildcats played aggressive defense all tournament long, it was no match for Loyola’s intensity. The Ramblers came out in attack mode, playing stifling defense all game and capitalizing on turnovers to go up 36-24 at the half.

Kansas State shot just 35 percent from the field and six of 26 from the three-point line, while Loyola shot 57 percent and nine of 18 from beyond the arch. Ben Richardson was the matchup’s top scorer with 23 points. The Southern Regional final ended in favor of Loyola-Chicago with a score of 78-62, meaning that this year’s cinderella team is Final Four bound.

The 2018 Final Four matchups featured the Villanova Wildcats against the Kansas Jayhawks, as well as the Michigan Wolverines against the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers.

This was Loyola’s first return to the Final Four since 1963. Unfortunately, that run came to an end as the Ramblers were stunned by Moe Wagner and the Wolverines. Wagner had 24 points, scoring the majority in the second half.

The third-seeded Wolverines notched a 14-game winning streak, the longest in the nation with their 69-57 win against the Ramblers. Loyola-Chicago’s historic tournament run ended here.

Villanova continued their dominance on their journey to the National Championship resurgence. The Wildcats posted a record 18 three-pointers in this matchup, making them the most prolific three point shooting team in college history.

Eric Paschall led the game with 24 points, along with seven of his teammates making long range shots of their own. This was a blowout victory for the Wildcats with a score of 95-79 to advance to the 2018 National Championship.

Villanova’s fire burned through the the Wolverines in a 79-62 victory to make head coach Jay Wright and Villanova one of the first teams in NCAA history with two national titles in three years.