The Howard University women’s basketball program waited 21 years between NCAA Tournament bids. Now it gets to take the center stage in a First Four matchup.
The Division I Women’s NCAA Tournament bracket was released on Sunday night and the MEAC champion learned it will take on Incarnate Word.
The game will be played in Columbia, S.C. on Wednesday, live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. The winner will then face No. 1 overall seed South Carolina in the first round on Friday.
Howard University (20-9) was named co-champion of the regular season along with Morgan State and Norfolk State before going on to beat NSU 61-44 on Saturday evening. The win gave HU its 11th women’s basketball title, but its first since 2001.
The Bison are led by Destiny Howell, who averages a team-high 12.9 points per game and is coming off a 25-point performance in the MEAC title game. Anzhane’ Hutton is second on the team in scoring with 11.1 points per game while shooting nearly 47 percent from the field. She also averaged a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.
Incarnate Word (13-16) needed overtime to defeat Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday, winning four games in four days to take the Southland tournament title. The Cardinals are led by the Southland Conference’s leading scorer, First Team honoree Jaaucklyn Moore.