The 1-seeded Michigan Wolverines officially have their first-round opponent for the NCAA Tournament, as the 16-seeded Howard Bison took down the UMBC Retrievers, 86-83 in the play-in game in Dayton on Tuesday night.
Facts about Howard
- NCAA Tournament Seed: 16
- Record: 24-10
- KenPom rankings: Overall: 207th, Offense: 283rd, Defense: 117th
- Quad 1 record: 0-2
- Quad 2 record: 1-2
- Notable opponents: lost to Missouri 88-67 on Nov. 3, lost at Duke 93-56 on Nov. 23, lost at Northwestern 80-60 on Dec. 30, lost to Yale 87-81 in overtime on Feb. 9
- Last meeting with Michigan: Wolverines won 76-58 on Nov. 11, 2016
- How they got here: No. 1 seed in Mid-Eastern, defeated No. 3 NC Central 70-63 in MEAC Tournament Championship
- Recent NCAA Tournament appearances: Lost in First Four in 2024, lost in First Round in 2023 after a 31-year hiatus, never won an NCAA Tournament game (0-4)
- Players to watch (needs updating): G Cedric Taylor III (17.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks), G Bryce Harris (17.1 points 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 37.4%. 3PT), G Cam Gillus (10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 37.9% 3PT), G One Okojie (10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 42.9% 3PT)
The Bison come into the tournament red hot, winning nine straight entering the play-in game. But there’s no denying that Howard faces a tall task against the Wolverines. Of the Bison’s starting five (all of whom average more than 25 minutes per game), Taylor is the tallest player at 6-foot-7.
Howard does, however, have a 6-foot-10 center in Danas Kazakevicius, though the freshman only plays 15 minutes per game and averages less than four points. Howard does have some outside shotmakers with Gillus, Harris, Alex Cotton and Okojie all knocking down at least 37 percent of their looks from downtown.
The Bison’s best chance of shocking the world comes from their ability to create turnovers, something that has plagued Michigan at times this year. Going into its matchup against UMBC, Howard ranked seventh in the nation at 14.8 opponent turnovers per game. The Fairleigh Dickinson/Purdue create-havoc-with-a-smaller-unit recipe is its best shot at stunning the Wolverines.
Do you think there’s any chance Michigan could be tested? What do you want to see from Dusty May and company in this game? Let us know down in the comments!
