First Four: Bison, Longhorns into the Round of 64
Photos via Carson Caprella @FlyerNews
Gabriel Ward | Sports Editor
DAYTON, Ohio – The opening day of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament took place on Tuesday evening at UD Arena. There were two “First Four” matchups; the first was between No. 16 seeds UMBC and Howard, with the second matchup featuring No. 11 seeds Texas and North Carolina State.
In the first matchup, Howard got off to a quick 19-13 lead, in part thanks to MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year Cedric Taylor III. Taylor had six of Howard’s first 19 points.
The story of the first half was Ose Okojie. Okojie scored 16 first-half points for the Bison on 6-of-9 shooting while also knocking down a pair of free throws. But despite Okojie’s offensive outburst, it was foul trouble that defined the end of the half and impacted how the rest of the game unfolded. Despite the Bison entering the locker room with a 49-41 lead, Okojie, Taylor and Travelle Bryson all picked up two fouls in the opening half, putting Howard’s depth in danger entering the second frame.
After the game, Okojie was asked about his strategy while playing through foul trouble, where he explained, “My teammates need me. The younger guys need me. So to be solid and play those 12 minutes with not fouling is discipline, truly discipline, and trusting in my abilities.”
Despite the foul issues, Howard’s offense continued to shine. With 16:21 left in the game, Bryce Harris made a 3-pointer, extending the Bison’s lead to 61-48 and forcing a UMBC timeout.
Down 11 points with just over two minutes remaining, the UMBC rally began. The Retrievers went on a quick 9-0 run over the next 1:11 to cut the Howard lead down to two. The run began when Caden Diggs made a layup, then two free throws each from DJ Armstrong and Diggs, and finished with a 3-pointer from Armstrong.
After the Retrievers and Bison traded baskets, Howard’s Isaiah Brown split a pair of free throws, giving UMBC a chance to tie. Armstrong missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Howard survived the comeback bid, advancing to the Round of 64 with an 86-83 victory.
With the win, Howard improves to 24-10 and advances to face No. 1 seed Michigan at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. That game is scheduled to tip off at 7:10 p.m. on Thursday and can be seen on CBS.
For UMBC, the loss ends their season; the Retrievers finish with a record of 24-9.
The second game between No. 11 seeds NC State and Texas came down to the wire as well.
The Longhorns got off to a 22-14 lead with 9:45 left in the first half. Of those 22 points, 15 came from 3-pointers. For the Wolfpack, it was Darrion Williams leading the charge, as his 14 first-half points were a high for either team.
Texas’ bench players were key contributors, scoring 15 points for the Longhorns. But the story of the game came from Chendall Weaver, who came up huge for UT with 11 points and 10 rebounds, for his first career double-double.
When asked about his performance off the bench, Weaver stated that he was “just bringing that spark that my team needed, being the guy off the bench that comes in, changing the game.”
Much like the earlier game, this matchup also featured a late comeback attempt. With 1:42 remaining, Texas was ahead 64-56. But a 10-2 Wolfpack run tied the game up at 66 with 18 seconds remaining. In the final seconds, Tramon Mark came up huge for UT, converting a 19-foot jump shot to put the Longhorns up two with one second left. Texas got the quick defensive stop and won 68-66, advancing to the Round of 64.
With the win, Texas improved to 19-14 overall and advanced to face No. 6 seed BYU in the Round of 64 on Thursday at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. That game is scheduled to tip off at 7:25 p.m. and can be seen on TBS.
The loss ends the Wolfpack’s season; they finished with a record of 20-14.