HBCU News Spotlight:
- Three HBCU men's programs, Prairie View A&M, Tennessee State, and Howard, earned NCAA tournament bids, most since 1994.
- Tennessee State earned a No. 15 seed, bypassed the First Four, and set a school record with 23 wins under coach Nolan Smith.
- If Tennessee State defeats Iowa State, it would be the second HBCU 15-seed to beat a 2-seed, joining Hampton (2001).
- Prairie View A&M won the SWAC tournament as a No. 8 seed, will play Lehigh in the First Four, then likely face Florida.
- In the women's bracket, Howard and Southern qualified; Southern earned a No. 13 seed (26-7) and faces Samford.
The field for the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments is almost set, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities are making history before a game is even tipped off.
With wins by Prairie View A&M, Tennessee State and Howard, the men’s field of 68 will feature three HBCU squads. It’s the most schools to qualify for the tournament since 1994, when Texas Southern, Tennessee State and North Carolina A&T all reached the NCAA tournament.
For Tennessee State, its second trip to the big dance comes with historic precedence. After winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, the Tigers were selected as a No. 15 seed, bypassing the First Four, which the NCAA Selection Committee has traditionally placed HBCU programs in the past. Going into the national tournament, the Tigers completed a sweep of the OVC’s regular season and conference tournaments and have won a school-record 23 games this season under first-year head coach Nolan Smith. 2026 marks their third tourney appearance overall after back-to-back bids in 1992-93 and 1993-94.
If the Tigers do win against Iowa State, they would become the second HBCU 15-seed to beat a 2-seed, joining Hampton, which beat Iowa State in 2001.
Joining the Tigers are the Panthers of Prairie View A&M, who won the SWAC title tournament. The Panthers, who also won the SWAC football crown, became the second team to ever win the SWAC men’s hoops title as the No. 8 seed, joining the 2023 Texas Southern Tigers. The Panthers will face Lehigh in the First Four, with the winner facing defending national champion Florida in the first round.
Also in the dance is Howard University. The Bison are enjoying a renaissance in both their men’s and women’s programs as the men clinched their NCAA tourney bid by winning the MEAC while the women did the same in their conference tournament. Howard will face UMBC in the First Four, a school famously known for being the first to ever upset a No. 1 seed as a No. 16 seed in the men’s tournament, when it beat Virginia in 2018.
In the women’s bracket, the Southern Jaguars are also in the tournament along with Howard. The Bison earned a No. 13 seed after a dominant run through the MEAC with a 26-7 season. Southern, which took down Alabama State to punch its ticket, faces Samford in the First Four. The winner? They’ll meet Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks.
No matter what happens, the Field of 68 in both brackets will feature plenty of HBCU pride, a little trash talk and plenty of ambition to shock the world.
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