UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski said that messages of congratulations "poured in from elected officials, business leaders and fellow university presidents" following the men's basketball team's historic win over Virginia on Friday. Hrabowski said that he is "thrilled about the attention the school is receiving from around the country." Hrabowski: "People began to Google us and to see the academic achievements. That’s what’s so wonderful for us. ... From a potential employer like Amazon to other university presidents to elected officials, all of them saw us visually on TV" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 3/17).
UMBC's official athletics Twitter account "had about 5,400 followers" before Friday's game against UVA and now is up to over 92,000. Zach Seidel, who runs the account, has shown an "expert mix of humanity and snark that proved irresistible -- during and after the school's historic victory" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 3/17). YAHOO SPORTS profiles Seidel: "Meet UMBC's Other Hero, The Man Behind Its Now-Famous Twitter Account." Meanwhile, because 16th-seeded UMBC knocked off No. 1 seed UVA, Little Caesars is offering a free "lunch combo" to anyone interested on Monday, April 2 (STLTODAY.com, 3/17). UMBC faces Kansas State in the Round of 32 tonight at 7:45pm ET in Charlotte (THE DAILY).
