Returning NCAA tournament team Howard will join UTEP, Nebraska-Omaha and Kent State in the 65th annual WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational, Dec. 20-21.
Exact pairings have not been set.
“The WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational is the oldest collegiate holiday basketball tournament in the nation for a reason," Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas said. "Every team that has been here before is always excited to come enjoy the great competition as well as the Sun Bowl hospitality. We are excited for Kent State and Howard to return to the borderland and are thrilled to have Omaha for the first
time. They will all leave with tremendous experiences and memories."
Howard is coming off a season in which it won the MEAC regular-season and tournament championships, finishing 24-11, and then beat Maryland-Baltimore County in a First Four game. That marked Howard's third NCAA tournament appearance in four years. The Bison competed in the Sun Bowl Invitational in 2017.
Kent State went 24-10 last season and earned a trip to the NIT. They won the Sun Bowl Invitational in 2022.
Omaha is making its Sun Bowl Invitational debut after going 16-17 last season. They were an NCAA tournament team in 2025 after winning the Summit League tournament.
UTEP is close to completing its 2026-27 schedule, which it opens Nov. 2 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, against Northern Kentucky as part of the Field of 68 24-Hour Opening Day Marathon. They have a home-and-home with New Mexico State Nov. 12 in the Haskins Center and Nov. 19 in Las Cruces. They also have a tournament in Cancun scheduled over Thanksgiving and a Dec. 5 home game against North Dakota.
The Mountain West schedule has been set, and the Miners play their first league game in that conference Jan. 2 at home against New Mexico.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Howard, Kent State, Omaha join UTEP in Sun Bowl Invitational
