Howard men earn first NCAA bid in over 30 years
It came down to the wire, but the Howard Bison men’s basketball team is headed to its first NCAA Tournament since 1992.
Senior guard Jelani Williams made both of his free throws with six seconds left to defeat the Norfolk State Spartans 65-64 and win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday in Norfolk, Virginia.
Williams was Howard’s leading scorer with 20 points off the bench and he also gave sophomore guard Marcus Dockery an assist on his 3point shot that put the Bison within one with 13 seconds on the clock.
Spartans forward Kris Bankston missed a layup on the last possession of the game, and at the buzzer the Bison jumped up and down in jubilation.
The Bison previously beat Norfolk State twice during the regular season, including the 87-67 finale at home where they secured their place atop the MEAC standings.
This is coach Kenny Blakeney’s fourth season. He led the team to a 1912 regular-season record, its best since 1986-87 when it went 24-4 and won the MEAC in the regular season but lost to the North Carolina A&T Aggies in the tournament final.
The Bison have been to the big dance twice and lost in the first round both times. Their last appearance was in 1992 when they lost to the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks. It was Butch Beard’s second season as head coach when he turned them around from 8-20 to a 17-14 record. They finished at the top of the MEAC in the regular season and won the tournament.
Men win way into 68-team NCAA field
Fairleigh Dickinson, Northeast
SE Missouri State, Ohio Valley
UNC-Asheville, Big South
Drake, Missouri Valley
Kennesaw State, Atlantic Sun
Furman, Southern Louisiana, Sun Belt
Coll. of Charleston, Colonial Athletic
Northern Kentucky, Horizon League
Oral Roberts, Summit League
Gonzaga, West Coast
Texas A&M-CC, Southland
Colgate, Patriot League
Montana State, Big Sky
Vermont, American East
Howard, Mid-Eastern Athletic
Texas Southern, SWAC
Texas, Big 12
San Diego State, Mountain
West Marquette, Big East
Kent State, Mid-American
Iona, Metro Atlantic
Florida Atlantic, Conference USA
Duke, Atlantic Coast
UC Santa Barbara, Big West
Arizona, Pac-12
Grand Canyon, Western Athletic
Princeton, Ivy League
Alabama, Southeastern
Virginia Commonwealth, Atlantic 10
Memphis, American Athletic
Purdue, Big Ten