BUFFALO, N.Y. (March 19, 2026) – Guards Cam Gillus (Falls Church, Va.), Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.) and Cedric Taylor III (Atlanta) combined for 61 points, but it was not enough to offset a second half scoring surge and bench production as the Howard University men's basketball team fell, 101-80, to Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Key Bank Center.
 
The Bison came into the game with a nine-game win streak and advanced to this game following a win over UMBC in the First Four Tuesday (March 17). The Wolverines, ranked No. 3 in the country and top seed in the Midwest region, moved on to the next round.
 
Michigan (32-3), which had a decided height advantage over the Bison, but it did matter as Howard kept pace with the hot shooting Wolverines. The Bison had one of their best shooting performances of the season, connecting on 52-percent. Even more impressive was their marksmanship from downtown where they made good on 62-percent beyond the arc. Yet, they still trailed, 50-46.
 
Then, the Wolverines showed why they are ranked No. 3 in the country. Despite the Bison's efforts, Michigan continued its hot shooting.
 
That is when the bench advantage began to factor. Reserves Roddy Gayle Jr., and Trey McKenney made their presence felt, combining for 24 points, which enabled the Wolverines to put some distance between them and the pesky Bison.
 
For the game, the Michigan bench outscored their counterparts, 32-9. Howard sophomore forward Travelle Bryson (Anderson, S.C.) accounted for seven of those points in 11 minutes.
 
Meanwhile, Howard (24-11), which had used balanced scoring from its starting five, got only 10 points combined from junior sharpshooting guard Alex Cotton (Carrollton, Texas) and senior guard Ose Okojie (Brampton, Canada).
 
That left it up to the trio of Harris, Gillus and Taylor and again they produced.
 
Harris, a graduate capped off a brilliant career. The MEAC Player of the Year and MEAC Tournament MVP, got 21 points, including 3-of-7 from three-point land in 39 minutes.
 
Gillus, who is being as one of the top point guards in college basketball, continued his sterling play as he finished with 21 points, four rebounds, five assists and two turnovers in 39 minutes.
 
Taylor again showed that he will be a player to contend with. The 6-foot-7 junior transfer from Morehouse College scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and a career-best 4-of-7 from three-point land, along with six rebounds despite being in foul trouble.
 
Then, the Wolverines' depth became a factor as reserves began to contribute and the Bison could not keep pace with. The Wolverines went on a 16-8 run to start the second half that proved to be the difference.
 
The Wolverines got 19 points from Monez Johnson Jr., on 8-of-8 shooting from the floor, along with 10 rebounds for a double-double. Aday Mara contributed 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Mimari Burnett tallied 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
 
It was a historic year for the program under head coach Kenneth Blakeney. The Bison won 24 games, tying the school record for most wins in a season. More importantly, they won a first round NCAA game for the first time in school history, setting the stage for something special in years to come.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.