The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tipped off Tuesday evening in Dayton, and Howard was more than ready for prime time.
The Bison beat UMBC 86-83 behind 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists from Bryce Harris to advance to the main bracket.
The Retrievers rallied from 14 down in the second half to pull within a basket in the game’s final minute, but head coach Kenneth Blakeney’s team survives and advances to the main bracket where they’ll face top seed Michigan.
Wednesday’s First Four games have Prairie View A&M facing Lehigh, as well as Miami (Ohio) taking on SMU. The RedHawks get the harm and the help from the committee, having to play in the First Four despite a 31-1 record but just having to travel 43 miles to Dayton for their meeting with the Mustangs.
The Lehigh-Prairie View A&M winner faces South No. 1 seed Florida, who dominated February like nothing else but coughed up 91 points in an SEC semifinal loss to Vanderbilt (not as bad as it sounds).
The defending national champion Gators are joined by schools more known for heartbreak than hardware: No. 3 Houston has the most Final Four appearances without winning a title, No. 4 Nebraska is the only power conference school never to win a tournament game, while Vanderbilt, Clemson and Iowa have all dealt with more March misery than madness.
Bold
McNeese shocked the world last year as a No. 12 seed playing at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday when they blew out Clemson. The Cowboys are a No. 12 seed again this March and play their first round game Thursday at 3:15 p.m. Do we get a dose of déjà vu against a Vanderbilt team that’s having a good season (but is still Vanderbilt)?
Fold
North Carolina has given us a little of everything this year: from defeating Duke to losing by 24 to NC State 10 days later. Their one-and-done fold in the ACC Tournament doesn’t give the Tar Heel faithful a lot of hope, and they’re playing a VCU team that’s peaking with 16 wins their last 17 games.
Gold
Houston brings the second-stingiest defense in all of Division I (62.9 points allowed per game) and ranks third in turnover margin. They’re led by freshman point guard Kingston Flemings (16 points and five rebounds per game), who doesn’t look like a first-year player. The regional semifinals and finals will be played in Houston, Texas; which, from what I’ve been told, is somewhat near the University of Houston campus. Home cooking holds for the Cougars.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
