Howard basketball is once again the class of the MEAC, and it kicks off the NCAA tournament in the First Four.
For the third time in four years, Howard is going dancing. The Bison were upset in the MEAC quarterfinals last season against Morgan State, but came back with vengeance in 2026. For their efforts, Howard once again is slated into the First Four in Dayton, where they’ll have to play in to the Round of 64 against UMBC.
How they got there:
Howard had an interesting non-conference schedule. While the Bison lost to Stetson and Mount St. Mary’s in two disappointing stumbles, they also defeated Drexel and UNCW back-to-back on the road in December. Howard tripped out of the gate in MEAC games, starting 2-3 in league play after a loss to Morgan State on Jan. 24. Since then, however, the Bison are 11-1, with the only loss on their resume being an overtime defeat to Yale. It’s also worth noting that Cedric Taylor III, the team’s leading scorer, missed the team’s first 11 games.
Earning the top seed in the MEAC by a game over Morgan State with an 11-3 conference record, the Bison drew South Carolina State in the semifinals after the Bulldogs took out 4 seed Norfolk State. Howard basketball made quick work of SC State, winning by 17 points to set up a matchup against NC Central in the finals.
Despite holding another 17-point lead with under nine minutes to go, Howard let the Eagles get within six points with the ball in Central’s hands with two minutes left. But the Bison shut the door with a well-timed Cam Gillus jumper, and they eventually won by seven points to secure their third bid since 2023. Bryce Harris was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, and Gillus and Taylor III joined him on the MEAC All-Tournament Team.
General Information:
Team: Howard
Location: Washington, D.C.
Record: 23-10 (11-3)
Head Coach: Kenny Blakeney (7th season overall, all at Howard)
What to know about Howard basketball:
Good luck hitting your season average from the field when you play Howard. The Bison are 18th nationally in opponent 3PT%, holding teams to an average of 30.4% from deep. In their most recent 10 games, that number falls to an incredible 26.4%. Part of that has to do with the fact that Howard is just that much better than the rest of the MEAC, but there’s no denying that the Bison saved their best basketball for when it matters most. Howard is also inside the top 50 in opponent 2PT%.
On the individual level, Taylor III leads the Bison with 17.2 PPG, and Howard is 16-5 when he plays. He’s tall at 6’7″, and is second on the team with 1.6 SPG. Harris is the team’s other star, averaging 16.8 PPG on the season. He’s shooting 48.3% from deep over the team’s last 10 games. Another sharpshooter is senior guard Ose Okojie, who’s first on the team with a season average of 45.8% from deep, but only averages 1.3 attempts from deep per game. He still is efficient from inside the arc, however, making 55.3% of his twos on 8.6 attempts per game.
The team’s leader in minutes is Gillus, who stands at 5’10” but plays a lot bigger. He’s the team’s leader in steals and is the third Bison averaging double figures on the season, with 10.5 PPG. Guard Alex Cotton and forward Danas Kazakevicius have combined for 30 starts between the two of them.
Once a team falls behind against Howard basketball, it’s tough to get back in the game. The Bison are 20-1 all season in games that they lead by 10 points at any time. Additionally, Howard basketball scores 18.1% of their points on second chances, a high amount. But they also give up a rate of 17.3% of second-chance points on the other end of the court, pointing to longer possessions for both them and opponents.
NCAA Tournament prediction for Howard basketball: Round of 64 exit
Seed: 16
There have been only two 16 seeds to make the round of 32 in tournament history, those being FDU and UMBC. Coincidentally, UMBC is Howard’s opponent in the First Four. The Retrievers won the America East tournament, defeating Vermont in the final. This is the first time they’ve made the tournament since they knocked off Virginia in 2018. But Howard has a couple of solid wins and plenty of experience against tough competition this year. The Bison are 2-2 in Q2+Q3 games this season.
Per ESPN, the Bison are +1.5-point underdogs, but it’s hard to discount how good Howard has been since January 24. It’s as if they’re a completely new team. Howard has the talent on their roster to win this game, but it would be an insanely tall task to defeat Michigan. Literally, tall. Who would the Bison put on 7’3″ Aday Mara? While FDU took down Purdue with Zach Edey, this Michigan team is a lot better than the two-trick pony Purdue squad of 2023. We see Howard basketball advancing to the first round, but not pulling off the shock of the century.