The 16th-seeded Howard Bison have done it. At last, the program has a March Madness win under its belt after defeating No. 16-seed UMBC Retrievers in the First Four round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Howard basketball outlasted the Retrievers for an 86-83 victory and a ticket to the first round of the Big Dance.
It was an unforgettable night for Howard, made even more memorable by Bison head coach Kenny Blakeney's message after the game.
“I'm so proud of these guys because it's not about me. It's about Howard, and it's about their student experience,” the 54-year-old Blakeney said.
“These guys are gonna remember this as I will for the rest of my life. And so with a Howard community. It's part of what makes this group so special that they understand this moment and they really embraced it.”
Blakeney, who played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, had steered Howard to two NCAA Tournament appearances before, but both trips ended in a loss right out of the gate.
This time around, the Bison were not going to be denied a historic victory, with Howard senior guard Bryce Harris draining a clutch jumper with 13 seconds left in the second half to take his team to the next round.
Senior guard Ose Okojie paced the Bison with a career-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds, while shooting 9-for-15 from the floor. Harris added 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
The Bison will next face the No. 1 seed and reigning Big Ten champions, the Michigan Wolverines, in the first round on Thursday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
