WASHINGTON (March 15, 2026) - The NCAA Men's Basketball Committee rolled out its 68-team bracket and the Howard University men's basketball team drew No. 16 UMBC in the First Four. The announcement came Sunday night during the Selection Sunday show on CBS.
 
The game will be broadcast on truTV as part of the NCAA Tournament's opening round. The First Four games begin Tuesday (March 17), at 6:40 p.m. ET.
 
HU takes on the Retrievers (24-8, 14-2 America East) for first time in the Big Dance, fourth meeting all-time. UMBC defeated the Bison, 95-77, a year ago (Nov. 25, 2024).
 
UMBC won the America East Regular Season and Tournament titles and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. The Retrievers knocked off Vermont, 74-59, en route the conference tournament championship.
 
Three Retrievers earned America East All-Conference Team accolades: Jah'Likai King (First Team); DJ Armstrong Jr. (Second Team) and Ace Valentine (Second Team). Caden Diggs was named the Sixth Man of the Year while Jim Ferry took home Coach of the Year.
 
Saturday (March 14), HU won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament title for the third time in four years, defeating No. 3 North Carolina Central, 70-63, in Norfolk, Va. It is the sixth-ever conference tournament win in Howard's history and the program's fifth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Howard is led by MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Player of the Year Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.) and Defensive Player of the Year Cedric Taylor III (Atlanta).
 
Bison head coach Kenneth Blakeney is in his seventh season at the helm.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.