DAYTON, Ohio — When Kenny Blakeney arrived at Howard, he took over a program that had lived in the lower rung of Division I for decades.
“Howard was, like, for the last 20 years, the 354th-ranked team in the country,” Blakeney said. “For me, that was great, because there was nothing else to do but go forward and make this a better program.”
Despite only four wins in his first season and a second campaign limited to just five games by the COVID-19 pandemic, Blakeney started making Howard better. A winning season followed. Then back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.
But Howard had still not won a game in March Madness. The Bison had a “box to check,” which Blakeney emphasized to his team before Tuesday’s First Four Matchup against UMBC at UD Arena.
Despite a late scare, No. 16 seed Howard finished the night with a checkmark next to its name, outlasting No. 16 UMBC 86-83. The Bison are now headed to Buffalo, New York, where they will face No. 1 seed Michigan on Thursday in a first-round Midwest Region matchup.
“Being on this stage and being able to check this box, it’s the only game going on right now, and the whole college basketball world, I’m pretty sure, was locked in on this,” Blakeney said. “So, what a wonderful accomplishment.”
Howard saw an 11-point lead with less than two minutes to play dwindle, but Bryce Harris’ turnaround jumper before the shot clock expired pushed the Bison’s advantage to four with 13 seconds left. UMBC had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but DJ Armstrong Jr.’s 3-point attempt missed.
“We’ve been in games like this before, we practice for these situations,” said Ose Okojie, who led Howard with a career-high 23 points and played most of the final 12:33 with four fouls. “It wasn’t anything like we were worried or anything like that. Because at this big stage, there’s no time for fear. There’s no time for worry.
“You’ve got to trust your work.”
Too overwhelmed to address the team afterward, Blakeney turned things over to Harris, the fifth-year leader who has witnessed Howard climb every rung toward respectability. Harris, who posted 19 points and 14 rebounds against UMBC, reminded the team about the previous season, when Howard tumbled to 12-20 and both he and Okojie were sidelined with injuries. Okojie had suffered a concussion against UMBC, of all opponents.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Harris said, “how you’re winning your first NCAA tournament game against a team that you got hurt against.”
Howard surged to a 49-41 halftime lead behind Okojie and others, and it led by as many as 14 in the second half. But a UMBC team making its first NCAA tournament appearance since its historic takedown of Virginia in 2018 — the Retrievers were the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 — wouldn’t go away.
“They are such a talented team,” Harris said.
Blakeney grew up near Howard in Washington, D.C., but his basketball career, unlike the program he would eventually coach, was linked to success. He won Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland, playing for decorated coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha Catholic High School. Blakeney then went to Duke and was part of its national championship teams in 1991 and 1992, before captaining the squad as a senior.
Blakeney took over at Howard admittedly not knowing how to build a winning culture, only to follow one. He learned through the lean years then lifted the program to the Big Dance. But after falling short, including two years ago in the First Four against Wagner, Blakeney didn’t minimize what a win would mean Tuesday.
“I went to Duke to win championships, and I want our young men to come to Howard to win championships, because I’m having opportunities from 1991 and 1992 at the age of 54 that are still present,” he said. “If you have a chance to win a championship … there’s not going to be an alum in the country that won’t take your phone call.”
The Bison might have to fend off the phone calls as they move on. As they exited the court, several fans implored them to take down Michigan.
“It’s kind of surreal,” said Okojie, who will play near his hometown of Brampton, Ontario, in the next game. “You kind of watch this tournament as a kid, and to win a game is crazy.”
