Howard University Basketball Team's Journey to the NCAA Tournament This Season

I still remember watching Howard University's season opener back in November, sitting in my usual spot at Burr Gymnasium with my notebook balanced on my knees. The energy was electric, but honestly, I had my doubts about this young squad. They'd started the season with that brutal 0-9 record, and as someone who's covered college basketball for over fifteen years, I've seen promising teams completely unravel after such beginnings. But what struck me most during those early losses was something Coach Kenny Blakeney kept emphasizing in his post-game pressers - this concept he called the "NSD" spirit. I'll admit, I was skeptical at first. How much could sheer determination really compensate for the glaring inexperience and those mounting losses?

The turning point came during that mid-December game against UMES. Howard was down by twelve at halftime, and the atmosphere felt heavy with disappointment. Then something shifted. I watched sophomore guard Elijah Hawkins gather his teammates during a timeout, his intensity visible even from where I sat courtside. They came out in the second half playing with a defensive ferocity I hadn't seen from them all season. They lost that game too, but the way they fought back - cutting a double-digit deficit to just three points in the final minutes - showed me this team had absorbed what their coach meant by that "NSD" mentality. It wasn't about winning every game immediately; it was about building resilience through adversity, something crucial for any young team aiming for postseason success.

Looking at their roster composition, Howard's youth was both their greatest challenge and their most promising asset. With seven underclassmen among their thirteen scholarship players, they had the second-youngest roster in the MEAC conference. The statistics from those first nine games were ugly - they were shooting just 38% from the field while allowing opponents to shoot nearly 49%. Their turnover margin sat at a troubling -4.2 per game. Yet beneath those numbers, I noticed subtle improvements that statistics alone couldn't capture. Freshman forward Shy Odom was developing into a defensive anchor quicker than anyone anticipated, and Hawkins' assist numbers were creeping up despite the losses. These weren't flashy improvements that would make SportsCenter highlights, but they formed the foundation of what this team would eventually become.

When conference play began in January, the transformation became undeniable. I attended their MEAC opener against Norfolk State, expecting another tough battle against the conference favorites. What I witnessed instead was a Howard team playing with cohesion and confidence that seemed impossible during their winless start. They executed their offensive sets with precision, moved the ball beautifully with eighteen assists on twenty-seven made field goals, and most importantly, they never panicked when Norfolk State made their inevitable runs. That 72-65 victory wasn't just their first win of the season - it was the moment I believed this team could actually make some noise in the conference tournament. The "NSD" spirit Coach Blakeney had been cultivating was no longer just a motivational phrase; it had become their identity.

The February stretch run revealed just how much this team had grown. They won eight of their final ten regular season games, including a stunning comeback victory against North Carolina Central where they erased a fourteen-point deficit in the final eight minutes. Watching that game, I was struck by how different this team looked compared to November. The same players who had looked hesitant and uncertain now played with a swagger that belied their youth. Their defensive rotations were crisp, their offensive decisions were sharp, and perhaps most impressively, they seemed to thrive in high-pressure situations - exactly the kind of mental toughness required for postseason success.

When the MEAC Tournament arrived in March, I found myself genuinely excited about Howard's prospects in a way I hadn't been in years. Their quarterfinal matchup against Maryland Eastern Shore was a masterclass in tournament basketball - controlling tempo, maximizing possessions, and making critical plays in clutch moments. The semifinal victory over Norfolk State was even more impressive, with Howard displaying a level of poise that veteran teams would envy. But it was the championship game against top-seeded North Carolina Central that truly showcased their remarkable journey. Down five with under three minutes to play, they could have folded. Instead, they dug deep, forced three critical turnovers, and made the winning basket with just twelve seconds remaining. The celebration that followed was one of the most genuine expressions of joy I've witnessed in my career covering college basketball.

Now, as Howard prepares for their NCAA Tournament appearance, I can't help but reflect on what makes their story so compelling. It's not just about overcoming an 0-9 start or winning their conference tournament against the odds. It's about how a team so young discovered their identity through adversity and grew into a group capable of competing on college basketball's biggest stage. That "NSD" spirit Coach Blakeney instilled in them - that never-say-die mentality - transformed them from a collection of talented individuals into a cohesive unit that believes in each other completely. Will they make a deep run in the tournament? Honestly, the odds are against them as a likely 15 or 16 seed facing one of the nation's powerhouses. But if this season has taught me anything, it's that this Howard team thrives when counted out. They've already accomplished something special just by getting here, and something tells me their journey isn't over yet.