The Howard Bison are going dancing!
After an NCAA tournament drought spanning over three decades, the storied HBCU defeated Norfolk State by one point on Saturday to earn its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament championship win since 1992.
The 65-64 victory secured Howard a spot among the field of 68 teams to face off in the March Madness tournament, which kicks off March 14.
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 25: An entrance sign near the main gate at Howard University October 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. Students have complained about mold and poor conditions in some dorm rooms and over 100 students have been staging a weeks-long protest to highlight the issues. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Jelani Williams, who led the Bison with 20 points and scored the game-winning free throws, told the Washington Post: “This is why I came to Howard.”
“I’ve waited all my life for a moment like this,” Williams, a graduate transfer from Pennsylvania, told the outlet. “I knew this was my last chance to go to the NCAAs, and I was going to make it happen.”
Head Coach Kenny Blakeney, who is in his fourth season leading the men’s basketball program, said: “It’s one thing to dream about doing something like this. It’s another thing to actually do it,” per the Post.
“Wow,” he said to the team, speaking through tears. “Everything you’ve gone through, the 6 a.m. practices, getting thrown out of the locker room — all of it — was for this.”
The game came down to the wire as Howard trailed by 4 points with one minute remaining. With 15 total lead changes throughout the game, neither team had above a six-point lead, according to FOX 5.
Art Crowder, a member of the 1992 Bison team that earned the school’s last tournament bid, told the outlet he was “waiting for so long” to see the team return.
FILE – In this March 18, 2015, file photo, an NCAA logo is displayed at center court as work continues at The Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, for the NCAA college basketball second and third round games. A Los Angeles jury has rejected a claim by the widow of a former USC football player who said the NCAA failed to protect him from repeated head trauma that led to his death. The jury found Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, that the NCAA was not negligent in the death of Matthew Gee.(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
“31 years is a long time, and I just thought it would happen more,” Crowder said. “I’m really proud of the team and the players. It’s just, wow! It’s so exciting that they finally did this.”
Howard has earned two previous NCAA tournament appearances, losing both times in the first round, according to USA Today.
Now that the Bison’s spot in the 2023 tournament is locked in, a selection committee will pair the team up with another for its first game, and announce the match on Sunday.
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