Howard University and Grambling State University have both earned a bid to compete in the 2024 March Madness tournament. Both teams clinched their conference championships yesterday. Howard triumphed over Delaware State to claim their second consecutive MEAC Championship, while Grambling defeated Texas Southern to clinch their first bid in the March Madness tournament.
Both teams will have to play a play-in game to face the #1 seed on their respective side of the bracket. Let's take a look at the teams they have to play and their respective roads to March Madness.
Howard University
Howard is headed to the big dance for the second year in a row after winning their second MEAC Championship over Delaware State. The Bison concluded with an 18-16 overall record and 9-5 in conference play. They showcased competitiveness in out-of-conference matchups with narrow losses to Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, and Yale.
The impressive success this season is notable despite losing three of their top four scorers from the previous year to the transfer portal and dealing with an injury to Shy Odoms. However, the Bison managed to recruit talented players like Seth Towns, a former forward from Harvard and Ohio State, Marcus Dockery from Maryland, and Bryce Harris, a significant contributor from last season. These additions have aided in sustaining their winning ways.
Howard finds themself in a different situation than last year. They must compete in a play-in game against Wagner to earn the opportunity to face off against West region number-one seed University of North Carolina.
Wagner competes in the NEC and finished the year 16-15 overall and 7-9 in their conference. The Seahawks had a very up-and-down season, even losing their final two regular-season games before the NEC tournament. However, they managed to turn things around and got big victories over the top three teams in the conference in #3 Sacred Heart, #1 Central Connecticut & #2 Merrimack en route to winning the NEC tournament and earning the opportunity to play into the March Madness tournament.
Another interesting fact about Wagner is their roster makeup as they competed in the NEC tournament. Per the New York Post, the Seahawks have been plagued with injuries and competed in the tournament with seven players on the roster. Wagner's top two players have logged heavy minutes with the injuries that plagued the team Melvin Council Jr. averages 35.3 minutes and his backcourt mate Javier Ezquerra averages 34.1 minutes.
Although Wagner had the second-to-last offense in the NEC averaging 63.5 points per game, they were at the top of the conference in defense as they held teams to 62.1 points per game. Their defensive numbers across the board are impressive. They were #2 in the NEC in opponent field goal shooting percentage (41.8%), #1 in opponent three-point shooting percentage (29.5%) while also being #2 in the conference in rebounding (36.5 rebounds per game).
Howard plays Wagner on Tuesday on TruTV. Coverage starts at 6 PM EST.
Grambling State University
Grambling is making history by clinching their first trip to the March Madness tournament. They had a phenomenal season, finishing the season with a 20-14 record and a 14-4 record in conference. Defeating Texas Southern, a team with three conference championships and multiple bids in the March Madness tournament, they clinched the SWAC Championship.
To earn a shot at taking on Midwest Region #1 Purdue, they must play Montana State out of the Big Sky. Montana State finished the season 17-17 and 9-8 in conference. They struggled on the road, finishing the year 4-10 but were 3-0 in neutral-site games.
They managed to win the Big Sky tournament, with successive victories over #4 Weber State, #10 Sacramento State, and #3 Montana State. Montana State is adept at both shooting three-pointers as well as defending the three. They are at the top on the conference in three-point percentage (36.7%) and three-pointers made per game (9) while also being #2 in opponent three-point shooting percentage (33.4%). Montana State features a well-balanced scoring attack, with five players averaging double-figure points per game.
Grambling plays Montana State on Wednesday on TruTV. Coverage starts at 6 PM EST.
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