18-16; 9-5, Second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Howard isn’t your standard ‘happy to be here’ #16 seed. The Bison are a proud bunch, made confident by their run through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament; and more, by the fact that this is not their first rodeo.
Head coach Kenneth Blakeney’s team won the MEAC last year, and conquered their league foes as the #2 seed this time around. They faced mighty Kansas in the Big Dance last year, and the players who remain from that crew have had valuable poise and experience to impart to their talented new teammates. Unfortunately, a couple of their best players up front have been dealing with injuries and aren’t 100% locks to play. In any event, the Bison will rely upon their proven stars to lead the way.
Experience is something which leading scorer Bryce Harris and 6’9″ super-senior Seth Towns got to spare. In his third year at Howard, Harris broke out in a big way this season, being named All-MEAC and selected as a member of the league’s All-Defense team. He’s very strong around the lane, and on a team which doesn’t lack size, Harris led the way on the glass – he grabbed the most offensive rebounds (99) of any player in the conference. In addition to feasting around the rim and at the charity stripe, Harris is a versatile defender and one of the better shot-blocking wings around. Towns was once the Ivy League’s Player of the Year…back in 2017-18. In his sophomore season. Due to injuries and Covid eligibility, Towns is a unicorn as an eighth-year college hoopster; and he’s also a very good player. A stretch-4 who has grown his game in new ways with each healthy season, Towns can really heat up from the outside and give Howard an inside-out approach offensively.
The team’s third big-time scorer is Marcus Dockery, another veteran of last year’s NCAA Tournament run and the MEAC’S most dangerous deep threat. With 93 made triples and a 41.1% rate from the land of trey, Dockery is a genuine problem for teams which can’t contain him on the outside, and he balances Howard’s offense nicely. The senior has gone for 20+ points in eight games this season, and hit four or more triples in a contest 11 times. Isaiah Warfield contributed 15 points and five assists against Norfolk State in the MEAC tournament, a big performance Blakeney had been hoping for. The lanky point guard led Howard in assists this season after arriving from Liberty, but had been injured mid-season just as he was starting to play quite well.
Shy Odom and Dom Campbell help Harris to do a lot of the heavy lifting up front, but each of them has been nicked up lately. Each is a strong, wide presence around the lane, but both possess some skill, as well. Campbell has high major size under the basket but can step away from it to make jumpers, while Odom is a talented passer. As a playmaker at both ends of the floor, Odom pairs well with Harris to give Howard real matchup advantages across the board. Joshua Strong and Jordan Hairston round out the every-game rotation by providing proven ballhandling and experience in the backcourt.
With the experience of last season under their belts and a veteran core, Howard should be feeling good about their return trip to the Madness. They’ve won in the postseason in back-to-back seasons, and have scoring depth all over the court. The Bison will need to be wary of a hot Aagner team coming off of their own title run, but especially with a clean bill of health, the Bison should be stampeding on into the brackets.
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