Howard Bison

The Howard Bison play Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C., representing one of the nation's most storied historically Black universities. Howard basketball has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, culminating in the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win. The Bison have become one of the MEAC's dominant modern programs under head coach Kenneth Blakeney, capturing multiple conference titles in a short span. Howard's rise has made the Bison a fixture of March storylines among HBCU programs.

Howard joined Division I basketball and the MEAC for the 1973-74 season, reaching its first NCAA Tournament in 1981 and returning in 1992 under coach Butch Beard. After a long tournament drought, the Bison broke through again in 2023 under Kenneth Blakeney, winning the MEAC regular-season and tournament titles and earning the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win, an 86-83 First Four victory over UMBC. Howard has since added more MEAC championships, including in 2026, giving the program six conference tournament titles overall and five total NCAA Tournament appearances.