NCAA Tournament: 3 keys for Howard to shock the world against Kansas
By Bryan Mauro
1992 was the last time the Howard Bison made the NCAA Tournament. In that season Howard finished first in the MEAC and won the MEAC conference tournament. The Bison were a 16 seed paired up with Kansas in the first round of the tournament. Howard lost the game in 1992 by 33 points. 31 years later the Bison are back in the NCAA tournament. Howard is the MEAC regular season and tournament champion. They were given a 16 seed and will play Kansas in the first round. Hopefully, that is where the comparisons end and Howard can have a little bit better showing for themselves.
It is going to be a tall task for the Bison to stay in this game given the overwhelming talent discrepancy. That is not a slight to Howard, they earned the right to be called one of the top 68 teams in the country. It would also be careless to say that Howard is not going to be a giant underdog against a Kansas team who many are going to pick to win back-to-back National Championships. The Bison are going to have an uphill climb to try and keep this game respectable but there are some things they can do to keep this game competitive.
Howard is the most prestigious HBCU in the country. They have a ton of famous alumni. Crazy things always happen in March Madness and if Howard can keep this game close and make Kansas sweat for the duration there would be constant talk of the Bison and they would get a ton of media coverage. It would be big news for the school in Washington DC, and it would be one of the stories in the early rounds of the tournament. Even if they don’t win, keeping the game within reach and making Kansas sweat could go a long way. Here are some things the Bison can do to stay in this game.