WASHINGTON (November 5, 2025) – Howard University men's basketball team continues its early season home stand Thursday (Nov. 6), hosting UDC (District of Columbia) inside The Burr. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., on ESPN+.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
 
Bison Nation can follow all the action via ESPN+ and/or live stats. Tickets are still available for fans to watch in person.
 
COACHES
 
UDC is coached by Mike Riley (Georgetown, '84), who is in his 13th season, and Howard is led by Kenneth Blakeney (Duke, '95), who is in his sixth season. Both coaches played their prep ball in the DMV: Riley at Cardozo and Blakeney at DeMatha Catholic.
 
SERIES RECORD
 
The two last played in 2022 where the Bison came away with an 87-74 win at The Burr. They have played each other four times and Howard has come out on top each time.
 
MATCHUP PREVIEW
 
UDC
 
This is the season opener for UDC, which is a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC). The Firebirds finished 5-20 (3-13 ECC) last season.
 
For those who do not know, Riley was a part of the Georgetown University men's basketball program foundation before it came into prominence as a national power. Following his career, Riley was part of the coaching staff under the late John Thompson Jr., that won a national championship.
 
HOWARD
 
Howard (0-1) is coming off an 87-66 home loss to Missouri Monday (Nov. 3). All things considered; the score was not indicative of the team's performance.
 
Missouri boasts the biggest team in Division I basketball with five players over 6-foot-9, including three 7-footers. As if that was not enough to overcome, the Bison played without the services of one of their top offensive weapons in junior forward Cedric Taylor III (Atlanta), who is out indefinitely with a hand injury.
 
Howard battled its SEC (Southeastern Conference) opponent. Trailing by 18 early in the second half, the Bison rallied on the scoring of their leader, Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.). The 6-foot-4 candidate for MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Player of the Year honors missed most of last season with a knee injury. There were concerns over his comeback headed into the opener. Harris quelled those concerns and then some. At one point, the graduate guard scored 10 of his team's 15 points to help them cut the deficit in half, 55-46, with 13 minutes remaining.
 
The talented Harris finished with a game-high 27 points on a combination of deep three pointers (4-of-9) and power moves against the imposing Missouri front line. His final stat line:
9-of-17 from the field, four assists, two steals and a block in 38 minutes of action.
 
Alex Cotton, a 6-foot-5 junior guard transfer from North Texas, made his presence felt in a Howard uniform, scoring 20 points, including 6-of-12 from beyond the arc.
 
Freshman center Danas Kazakevicius (Vilnius, Lithinia) got into early foul trouble against the bigger and more physical Tigers, but he still dealt out five assists.
 
Perhaps the most unnoticed contribution came from junior guard Cam Gillus (Falls Church, Va.), the highly touted transfer from Lehigh. He scored only seven points, but he played some outstanding on-the-ball defense and kept teammates involved by dishing out six assists.
 
Also making a solid contribution was redshirt senior guard Ed Holland III (Philadelphia), who quietly grabbed seven rebounds.
 
But in the end, the Bison could not keep up with the Tigers and their overall size and strength.
 
NEXT UP: Howard hosts Grambling State from the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) Sunday (Nov. 9) at 6 p.m., in Burr Gymnasium. It will be the third game of a four-game home stand, three of which are against HBCU competition.
 
For more information, visit the official Howard Athletics website www.hubison.com.