It’s been 31 years, but the time has finally come again for Howard University’s men’s basketball team. On Saturday (March 11), after defeating Norfolk State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament championship game, the victorious Howard Bison basketball team received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, set to begin in less than a week. The win also marked an emotional moment for historically Black college athletics, as it was their first MEAC tournament title since 1992. “It was great. I mean, to see this happen, I was waiting for so long,” Art Crowder, a member of the 1992 team, told FOX 5. “31 years is a long time, and I just thought it would happen more. So I was really happy about them winning. I’m really proud of the team and the players. It’s just, wow! It’s so exciting that they finally did this.”
BREAKING!!!! Howard Men’s basketball team makes the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992!!! @wusa9 @HUMensBB @HUBisonSports pic.twitter.com/NmLNInuwyX
— Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) March 11, 2023
Jelani Williams led the way for the Howard Bison, scoring 20 points, including two free throws with 6.1 seconds left that aided in the team’s 65-64 victory. The Bison and Spartans faced off twice in the regular season, with both wins going Howard’s way. However, Saturday’s game came down to defensive play. With 23.7 seconds remaining in the game, Spartans’ Terrance Jones and Joe Bryant gave their team a four-point edge over the Bison. But then, Howard‘s sophomore guard Marcus Dockery hit his first 3-pointer of the night after missing his previous five attempts to trim the lead down to one. Afterward, Norfolk State threw the inbounds pass out of bounds due to a miscommunication.
Throughout the game, neither team led by more than six points. There were also 15 lead changes and 11 ties. But now, the Bison are looking at what’s in front of them. During Selection Sunday, the NCAA March Madness bracket revealed Howard as the No. 16 seed in the West Region. They will face off against the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday (March 16) at 2 p.m. EDT.