Howard University Men’s Basketball Advances to NCAA Tournament First Four Howard University’s men’s basketball team has been matched against No. 16 seed UMBC in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four, as revealed during the Selection Sunday show on CBS. The game, set for March 17 at 6:40 p.m. ET, will air on truTV and marks the first time the two teams will meet in the tournament. This will be their fourth overall matchup, with UMBC securing a 95-77 victory in a previous contest on November 25, 2024. UMBC, the America East Regular Season and Tournament champions, earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018 through its conference automatic bid. The Retrievers advanced to the conference tournament final by defeating Vermont, 74-59, and three players—Jah’Likai King (First Team All-Conference), DJ Armstrong Jr. (Second Team), and Ace Valentine (Second Team)—were honored for their contributions. Caden Diggs was named Sixth Man of the Year, and head coach Jim Ferry received Coach of the Year recognition. Howard’s path to the tournament included a decisive 70-63 win over No. 3 North Carolina Central in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament final, held in Norfolk, Virginia. This victory marked the program’s sixth conference tournament title in history and its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bison are led by MEAC Player of the Year Bryce Harris, a graduate student guard from Brentwood, New York, and Defensive Player of the Year Cedric Taylor III, a senior from Atlanta. Head coach Kenneth Blakeney, entering his seventh season at Howard, has guided the team to its most successful campaign in recent years. The Bison’s success in the MEAC and their NCAA Tournament berth highlight the program’s growing competitiveness in collegiate basketball.#howard_university #umbc #jahlkai_king #dj_armstrong_jr #ace_valentine
