The North Carolina Central Eagles visited the Howard Bison at Burr Gymnasium, resulting in a decisive 100-67 victory for the hosts. By halftime, Howard had established a 16-point lead, 42-26, indicating a significant gap in performance between the two teams. This margin only widened in the second half, as Howard outscored NCCU 58-41. The 33-point difference in the final score underscores the considerable disparity between these programs.
The disparity in performance is also reflected in the teams' NET rankings, with Howard sitting at #220 and NCCU at #343. As the game progressed, it became clear that Howard was the superior team, maintaining control throughout. The first half set the tone, with Howard's 42 points to NCCU's 26, and the second half only reinforced this dominance. The final score, 100-67, is a testament to the significant gap between these two teams, with Howard's 100 points highlighting their offensive prowess and NCCU's 67 points underscoring their struggles to keep pace.
The top performers for Howard were instrumental in their 100-67 victory over North Carolina Central. Travelle Bryson led the team in scoring with 22 points, shooting an impressive 10-11 from the field and 2-3 from three-point range. He also contributed 8 rebounds and 1 block to the team's effort. Cedric Taylor III was another key contributor, posting 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, while also recording 4 blocks. His ability to score and facilitate the offense was a significant factor in Howard's success.
Bryce Harris rounded out the top performers for Howard, scoring 17 points and dishing out 6 assists. He also shot 6-12 from the field and made all 4 of his free throw attempts, demonstrating his ability to score from both the field and the line. Harris's 5 rebounds and 1 block added to his overall impact on the game. The combination of Bryson, Taylor, and Harris's strong performances ultimately propelled Howard to their decisive 33-point victory over North Carolina Central.
The top performers for North Carolina Central were unable to elevate their team to victory, despite putting up respectable numbers. Kyric Davis led the way with 23 points, shooting 9-13 from the field, but his lack of production from beyond the arc limited his overall impact. Kelechi Okworogwo was also effective, scoring 20 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, but his efforts were not enough to offset the team's overall struggles.
Gage Lattimore's 10-point outing was a relatively quiet one, considering his 5 assists suggested he was actively involved in the team's offense. However, his 3-9 shooting from the field and 1-5 mark from three-point range indicate that he was effectively shut down by the Howard defense. While these individual performances were solid, they ultimately proved insufficient to counter the balanced attack of their opponents.
Dionte Johnson's performance notably deviated from his season averages, as the North Carolina Central player saw a significant drop in assists, with just 1 compared to his average of 5.0 per game, a decline of 4.0. While his scoring was only slightly below his average, with 7 points compared to 8.3 per game, his rebounding was a positive outlier, exceeding his season average by 1.2 boards with 5 rebounds in the game.
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Final
The pre-game prediction of a Howard victory by nearly 19 points proved to be conservative, as the Bison ultimately emerged with a 33-point triumph. While the prediction correctly identified the winner, it underestimated the margin of victory, suggesting that Howard's performance exceeded expectations. This disparity between the predicted and actual outcomes hints at a dominant display by the Bison, one that was likely fueled by key factors that contributed to their success.
A closer examination of the team statistics reveals that Howard's exceptional shooting and rebounding efforts were pivotal in deciding the outcome. The Bison's effective field goal percentage of 69.7% and three-point shooting percentage of 50.0% indicate a highly efficient offense that was able to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Furthermore, their offensive rebounding rate of 46.2% suggests that they were able to extend possessions and create additional scoring chances, putting pressure on North Carolina Central's defense. These factors, particularly the shooting and rebounding advantages, ultimately contributed to Howard's decisive victory, as they were able to outpace and outmaneuver their opponents with ease.
The outcome of this contest has significant implications for both teams' NCAA Tournament resumes. For Howard, the win improves their overall record to 18-10, but their NET ranking of 220 and lackluster performance against top-tier opponents, with a 0-1 record in Quad 1 games and 1-3 in Quad 2 games, suggests they still have considerable work to do to bolster their at-large credentials, likely positioning them as a 16-seed at best if they were to earn a bid. In contrast, North Carolina Central's loss drops them to 10-16, with a dismal NET ranking of 343, and their winless records in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games all but eliminate them from at-large consideration, relegating them to a long-shot automatic bid scenario. Ultimately, this result reinforces the reality that Howard's postseason hopes hinge on winning their conference tournament, a prospect that now seems slightly more plausible, but still a long shot.