DAYTON, Ohio (March 16, 2026) – Howard University men's basketball team faces UMBC in the NCAA First Four Round Tuesday night (March 17) at the UD Arena (5,500). Tipoff is slated for 6:40 p.m. (ET), live on TruTV.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
 
Bison Nation can follow all the action on TruTV.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
UMBC
 
UMBC (24-8) is one of the hottest teams in the tournament, entering with 12-game win streak.  The Retrievers defeated the No. 3 seed Vermont in the America East Tournament Final. DJ Armstrong Jr., exploded for 33 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
 
HOWARD
 
Howard (23-10) advanced to the first four round by defeating North Carolina Central Saturday (March 14) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament Final in Norfolk, Va. Graduate guard Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.) was named tournament MVP and junior guards Cam Gillus (Falls Church, Va.) and Cedric Taylor III (Atlanta) were named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
SERIES RECORD
 
This is the fourth meeting between the two institutions with HU holding a 2-1 edge.
 
A year ago, UMBC defeated Howard, 95-77 (Nov. 25, 2024) for its first win of the series. The Bison prevailed 103-93 in a shootout at The Burr (Dec. 19, 2015) and came away with a 68-54 decision in Baltimore (Nov. 25, 2014).
 
THE COACHES
 
UMBC is coached by Jim Ferry (Keene State, '90), who is in his fourth season at the helm. Howard is coached by Kenneth Blakeney (Duke, '95), who is in his sixth season and has led the Bison to three MEAC Tournament titles and NCAA appearances in four years.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
 
UMBC PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      Class                Position           2025-26 Stats                        
3          DJ Armstrong Jr.                      Graduate        Guard              13.2 ppg & 46-percent FG%
1          Ace Valentine                         Junior              Guard              12.0 ppg & 38-percent 3FG%
2          Josh Odunowo                                    Graduate        Forward          8.6 ppg & 5.2 rpg
14        Jose Roberto Tanchyn            Junior              Center             6.5 ppg & 4.7 rpg
4          Jah'Likai King                           Junior              Guard              13.9 ppg & 3.4 rpg
 
UMBC KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      Class                Position           2025-26 Stats                        
11        Caden Diggs                            Sophomore     Forward          9.8 ppg & 3.8 rpg
5          Daylon Dickerson                    Junior              Guard              5.6 ppg & 3.3 rpg
23        Riley Jacobs                            Freshman        Forward          4.3 ppg & 3.8 rpg
 
HU PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      Class                Position           2025-26 Stats                        
34        Bryce Harris                            Graduate        Guard              17.1 ppg & 6.9 rpg
11        Ose Okojie                              Senior             Guard              10.5 ppg & 3.8 rpg
2          Cam Gillus                              Junior              Guard              10.6 ppg & 152 assists
4          Alex Cotton                             Junior              Guard              8.7 ppg & 3.0 rpg
12        Cedric Taylor III                       Junior              Guard              17.1 ppg & 6.7 rpg
 
HU KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      Class                Position           2025-26 Stats                        
13        Danas Kazakevicius                 Freshman        Center             3.9 ppg & 2.6 rpg
0          Isaiah Brown                           R-Freshman    Guard              2.8 ppg & 47 assists
32        Travelle Bryson                       Sophomore     Forward          8.8 ppg & 3.4 rpg
 
GAME NOTES
 
UMBC
 
Nationally, the Retrievers rank second in fouls per game, averaging only 13.2 per game, and incredibly, had only one player foul out a game this year…Much of the Retrievers' success has come as a result of their free throw shooting efficiency, connecting 76-percent from the charity stripe, which is 47^th in the country…Individually, Armstrong is shooting a sizzling 93-percent from the foul line…Armstrong is one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the country, shooting at 42-percent, which ranks 22^nd in the nation…For postseason honors, Jah'Lhain King was named the American East First Team and Armstrong and Ace Valentine were selected to the second team…Josh Odunowo was named to the America East All-Defensive Team…The Retrievers feature balanced scoring with Armstrong, Valentine and King are all averaging in double figures and Caden Diggs just a couple points off with 9.8 per game…During the 12-game win streak, UMBC average margin of victory is 17.0 points differentials…It is important to note that UMBC boasts a completely different starting lineup from last year.
 
HOWARD
 
Nationally, the Bison are ranked in the following categories: tied for 10^th in turnovers forced per game; tied for 20^th in in free throws made; 16^th in free throw attempts per game (25.5); 27^th in steals per game; 38^th in field goal defense (67.0 ppg); 38^th in fast break points and scoring defense (67.0 ppg)…Individually, Harris is tied for 44^th in free throws made and 45^th in free throws attempts…Howard head coach Kenneth Blakeney is a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award given to head coaches for their accomplishments…Harris was named the MEAC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP…Taylor was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year…Howard has a balance scoring with Harris and Taylor, each averaging 17.0 points, senior guard Ose Okojie (Brampton, Canada) with 10.5 ppg and Gillus with 10.6 ppg…Howard has also been especially dominant during the eight-game win streak, outscoring its opponents by averaging over 21.0 ppg.
 
NEXT UP
 
The winner will take on Michigan, the No. 1 seed, Thursday (March 18) in Buffalo, N.Y.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.