The UMBC Retrievers are preparing to face the Howard Bison in a 2026 First Four contest. The Tuesday night game will determine who advances as a 16th seed to take on the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Thursday in the first round.
UMBC secured their spot by winning the American East title over the University of Vermont with a score of 74-59. Howard earned their place by winning the MEAC tournament 70-63 over the North Carolina Central Eagles.
Match Details: UMBC vs. Howard
The game is scheduled for Tuesday night at 6:40 p.m. ET at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Howard holds the all-time series lead, 5-2. The Retrievers won last season’s contest 95-77.
UMBC is currently a 1.5-point favourite. The over/under for total points scored is 140.5.
SportsLine Model’s Predictions
The SportsLine Projection Model simulated the game 10,000 times. The model is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks.
- The model is projecting the Retrievers to have four players score 10.3 points or more, including Jah’Likai King, who is projected to score 14.3 points.
- The Bison are projected to have four players score 10.3 points or more, led by Bryce Harris, who is projected to score 19.3 points.
Betting Insights and Odds
The SportsLine Projection Model is leaning towards the Over on the total (140.5 points). The Over occurred in the last meeting between the two teams. UMBC is 6-0 against the spread in its last six games and 10-0 straight up in its last 10 games.
The model is projecting 151 combined points as the Over clears in over 80% of simulations.
UMBC has won twelve straight games, while Howard has won eight straight games. The Retrievers are 24 – 8, while the Bison are 23-10. UMBC finished in first place in the American East, while Howard finished in first place in the MEAC.
The model also indicates that one side of the spread hits more than 60% of the time.
The UMBC Retrievers and the Howard Bison will face off to determine who will advance in the tournament.