Two women’s HBCU programs are carrying the banner into March Madness in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Each one faces a very different road once play begins.
Howard will open as a No. 14 seed against No. 3 Ohio State, while Southern will meet Samford in a No. 16 First Four game. The winner advances to face No. 1 South Carolina. Those matchups put two HBCU teams directly into the national spotlight and guarantee at least one will still be alive after the First Four. (CBS Sports)
Howard avoids First Four, has tough task
Howard gets the toughest draw on paper, but it also gets one of the biggest stages in March Madness. The Bison will face an Ohio State team that entered the tournament at 26-7 and averaged 81.7 points per game. The Buckeyes also forced 21.4 turnovers per game and posted a plus-15.5 scoring margin, which shows exactly how sharp Howard will need to be to pull off the upset. Ohio State is led by Jaloni Cambridge, who averaged 22.8 points per game, and Chance Gray, who added 14.9 points per outing. (CBS Sports)
Still, that is what makes NCAA Tournament basketball special for an HBCU program. Howard is not walking into this event for participation points. It is walking in with a chance to test itself against one of the nation’s best and put its program in front of a national audience on opening weekend of March Madness. (CBS Sports)
Southern looking for another NCAA Tournament win
Southern’s path is different, but not necessarily easier. The Jaguars must first survive Samford in the First Four before even getting a shot at South Carolina. That means Southern’s first challenge is a Samford team that came into the bracket at 16-18 overall, averaged 60.2 points per game, and had just won three straight postseason games heading into the NCAA field. Samford also made 286 three-pointers this season, so Southern will have to defend the arc and avoid letting the game get loose early. (CBS Sports)
For HBCU women’s basketball, that is the larger story in this year’s March Madness bracket. Howard has a shot to swing big against a national seed. Southern has a play-in opportunity to extend its season. And no matter what happens, multiple HBCU programs will once again be part of the national NCAA conversation when the tournament begins.