No Maryland, American or Georgetown: 16th-seeded Howard to represent D.C. in March Madness

The District’s March Madness dreams will rely on a Cinderella this year. Howard — a No. 16 seed — is the city’s only representation on this year’s NCAA men’s basketball bracket after underwhelming seasons from Maryland, American, George Washington and Georgetown.

Howard’s tournament run is unlikely to last long. The Bison open the tournament on Tuesday with a “First Four” matchup against fellow No. 16 seed UMBC.

The winner of that game will play Michigan, the top team in the bracket’s Midwest region. No. 16 seeds are the ultimate underdogs, securing a 2-158 record all-time in the round of 64.

But the Bison will be the District’s only representation at this year’s tournament. The rest of the region’s squads will watch the dance from home.

Maryland struggled in a humiliating season under first-year coach Buzz Williams after last year’s Sweet 16 run. Georgetown had a shot at an automatic bid during a promising run in the Big East Tournament, but the Hoyas fell to UConn in Friday’s semifinal.

American and George Washington would’ve needed to win their conference tournaments to land a spot in March Madness. Neither advanced past the second round.

Even George Mason stumbled. The Patriots entered February with a 20-2 record and a decent shot at a postseason appearance. They fell apart, finishing 23-9 and losing in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

If college hoops fans around Washington, Maryland and Northern Virginia want a local rooting interest this March, they’ll need to cast a wide net.

Virginia 

The Cavaliers are back in the NCAA Tournament after a brief absence. Virginia missed the festivities last season — their first since the shocking retirement of coach Tony Bennett — with a 15-17 record. 

The first season under new coach Ryan Odom has featured a return to form for the commonwealth’s flagship university. This year’s Cavaliers recorded a 29-5 record and pushed Duke — the No. 1 team in the country according to the most recent AP poll — to the brink in the ACC Tournament final. 

“We’ve got a lot more basketball to play, so we’ve just got to learn from it,” guard Malik Thomas said after the loss to Duke. “We’ve got to go home, rest our bodies, and then just learn from our mistakes, learn what it takes to win these types of games.”

Virginia has something to prove. The team hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since securing a title in 2019. The Cavaliers earned a No. 3 seed on Sunday. They’ll face No. 14 seed Wright State on Friday in the bracket’s Midwest region.

UMBC 

If one underdog isn’t enough in Howard, how about a second? The Retrievers became the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 team when they upset the Cavaliers during the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

The small school’s social media team has also been working overtime ahead of the tournament, taking shots at teams on the bubble from larger conferences. Auburn, led by first-year coach Steven Pearl, found itself on the outside of the bubble on Sunday after a 17-16 record in a stacked SEC. 

Bruce Pearl, Steven’s father, who resigned as Auburn’s coach in favor of media roles with TNT and CBS, has spent several weeks lobbying for the Tigers. 

“Just realized the best part of having an autobid is that we don’t need a relative going on tv to explain why we deserve to be in over a 30-win [Miami of Ohio],” UMBC’s athletic department wrote on X in a veiled shot at the Pearls after winning the America East Tournament. 

Pearl’s efforts were unsuccessful, as the tournament committee awarded an at-large bid to 31-1 Miami of Ohio over Auburn.

This season marks UMBC’s first March Madness appearance since shocking Virginia eight years ago. The Retrievers will look to repeat history against Michigan on Thursday if they can defeat Howard first.

VCU 

The Rams have become a March perennial, qualifying for 12 of the last 15 NCAA Tournaments. VCU was already likely to secure an at-large bid, but they removed any doubt by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament final against Dayton on Sunday. 

VCU featured nine new players on the roster this season as the Rams opened a new era with coach Phil Martelli. The school’s previous coach, Odom, left for the Virginia job just 12 months ago. 

“Everything that this team went through, the early mornings crawling through the mud, nine new guys, we just built so much chemistry in a short period of time,” VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. told CBS Sports after Sunday’s win.

But, despite making regular March Madness appearances, an extended run has eluded the Rams. In 2011, they won four games during a historic run to the Final Four. The squad has won just three NCAA Tournament games since.

The 11th-seeded Rams will look to buck that trend when they face North Carolina, a No. 6 seed, on Thursday. 

The full NCAA Tournament bracket will be unveiled at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The annual “First Four” matchups, which whittle the field of 68 down to 64, begin on Tuesday before the madness kicks off in earnest on Thursday.