Howard Bison vs Michigan Wolverines Picks and Predictions for Thursday, March 19, 2026
Use Code WWWC The Howard Bison will be in Buffalo, NY, Thursday night for a 7:10 PM matchup inside the KeyBank Center for an NCAA first-round matchup against the Michigan Wolverines, and we have you ready to roll with our Howard vs Michigan prediction. Howard is a 16 seed coming into this matchup with 24 wins and 10 losses overall this season. Michigan is one of four No. 1 seeds in the tournament, with 31 wins and 3 losses this season. Howard comes into this game riding a long winning streak following a three-point victory over UMBC Tuesday night in the play-in game. The Michigan Wolverines have won the last five, following an 8-point loss to Purdue in the Big Ten championship game. Read more about this Howard vs Michigan prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
Howard hunts a huge upset
The Howard offense has fared well this season, averaging 77.7 points on 46% shooting from the floor, and the Bison have upped their scoring as of late, averaging 81.6 points per game over their last five victories. Defensively, Howard is allowing 68.2 points per game this season through 34 games played. Offensively, Howard was solid in their last outing, scoring 86 points on 48% shooting and 40% from beyond the arc. Defensively, Howard did just enough, allowing 83 points on 52% shooting. Howard won the rebounding battle by 6 and forced 9 turnovers to seal the victory.
Bryce Harris leads the Howard offense this season, averaging 17.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Cedric Taylor, the third, also averages 17.1 points per game this season, but has played just 23 times. Ose Okojie is averaging 10.8 points, and Travelle Bryson is averaging 8.9 points per game. Cam Gillus averaged 10.5 points to go along with the team’s leading 4.7 assists per game.
Key Injury Report for Howard:
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- Shane Frazier (Questionable) – Undisclosed
Michigan continues its push
Offensively, Michigan is one of the better teams in the country, averaging 86.8 points on 51% shooting from the floor. Defensively, Michigan has held its own, allowing 69.2 points per game this season. Offensively, Michigan scored the ball well in its last outing, pouring in 72 points on 47% shooting, 29% from beyond the arc. Defensively, Michigan had a ton of trouble giving up 80 points, including 42 in the second half. Michigan shot 53% from the floor in the game. Michigan won the rebounding by 4, but turned the ball over 7 times in the loss.
Yaxel Lendeborg leads the Michigan offense this season, averaging 14.6 points per game. Morez Johnson Jr. is second on the team with 13.1 points, to go along with the team-leading 7.2 rebounds. Aday Mara averages 11.6 points, and Trey McKenney is averaging 9.6 points per game. Elliot Cadeau averages 10.2 points to go along with the team-leading 5.6 assists per contest.
Key Injury Report for Michigan:
- LJ Cason (Out) – Knee
- Winters Grady (Questionable) – Undisclosed
- Ricky Liburd (Out) - Redshirt
Howard vs Michigan Pick
- Howard vs Michigan Spread Pick
Michigan is the far better team in this matchup and will have no issues Thursday night. Look for the Wolverines to dominate this game on both sides of the ball, as they are potential favorites to win the national title. Look for Michigan to bounce back from its recent loss with an easy blowout victory in the first round. Take the Wolverines Thursday night to do the work as they get the win and cover in Buffalo to advance to Saturday.
- Howard vs Michigan Over/Under Pick
Michigan has a stout offense and an elite defense. The Wolverines are going to score their points with no issue, but Howard will have trouble scoring. Despite Howard having the issue scoring, Michigan will potentially score 100 points in this game. Look for Michigan to run the score up as they pick up the easy blowout winning cover in this matchup. Take the over Thursday night as the Wolverines get everything they want on the offensive side, against a lackluster Howard team.
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