The NCAA Tournament kicks off in earnest on Thursday afternoon and the #1 seed in the West Region, Kansas, will take on the 16th-seeded Howard Bison. Kansas finished the season in the top five overall and was runner-up in the Big 12 Tournament, losing to Texas. Howard comes into this game with a record of 22-12 and winner of the MEAC Tournament. The game will take place in Des Moines, IA with a game time set for 2:00 PM EST.
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The Howard University Bison won 22 games this season, took home the MEAC Tournament crown, and earned an automatic NCAA Tournament invite. The Bison's reward? A first-round matchup with the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks. Howard comes in with five straight victories including three in the tournament to earn the invitation. On Saturday, Howard defeated arch-rival Norfolk State 65-64 after trailing by four points with under a minute to go. Howard guard Marcus Dockery drilled a 3pt field goal to pull them within one and then Jelani Williams drilled two free throws with just six seconds left that sealed the win.
“What a battle, I'm a little speechless,” said Howard men's basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney during the postgame press conference. “We have a team of guys that people didn't believe in. To see this moment come to fruition after a lot of hard work on everybody's part is absolu tely wonderful.”
And how about @HUMensBB ?! ???? Yep they are ready to go dancing too!! ???? #MEAC #ryssuno #RYSShreveport #ryssubr @MEACSports @NCAA @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/2RNJwp2C5D
— Black College Exp (NABJ Member) Journalist (@BlackCollegeExp) March 12, 2023
Howard will face an uphill battle in attempting to defeat the #1 seed in the West Region. Howard is scoring 75.5 points per game this season and shooting 48% from the field. The Bison are shooting 38% from 3pt range, hitting an average of eight per game. On the defensive end, the Bison are allowing 71.6 points per game on the season. The opposition is shooting 44% from the field against Howard and 34% from 3pt range. Howard is averaging over 35 rebounds per game on the season. The Bison can be sloppy with the basketball, with a turnover margin of -1.1 per game.
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