Michigan basketball gets 1st-round NCAA lesson about underdogs

Wolverines avoid upset by Howard, advance to face Saint Louis in second round

Mar. 20, 2026 at 9:08am

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Michigan basketball coach Dusty May borrowed from Malcolm Gladwell's book "David and Goliath" to help avoid an upset by Howard in the NCAA Tournament opener. The Wolverines, a 1-seed, led by just 4 points at halftime before pulling away in the second half for a 101-80 win over the 16-seed Bison.

Why it matters

This game highlights the challenges top seeds face against plucky underdog teams in the NCAA Tournament, as seen earlier in the day when 16-seed Siena nearly upset top overall seed Duke. Perceived weaknesses can turn into advantages for underdogs, as evidenced by Howard guard Cam Gillus' strong shooting performance in the first half.

The details

Michigan outscored Howard 51-34 in the second half, using its size advantage to dominate in the paint. The Wolverines' defense also tightened up, holding Howard to just 30.8% shooting from 3-point range in the second half after the Bison hit 10 threes at a 62.5% clip in the first half. Michigan limited Howard's leading scorer Ose Okojie to just 7 points after he had 23 in the First Four.

  • The game was played on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York.
  • Michigan will face 9-seed Saint Louis in the second round on Saturday, March 21 (12:10 p.m., CBS).

The players

Dusty May

The head coach of the Michigan basketball team.

Cam Gillus

A 5'11" guard for Howard who scored 21 points, tying a game-high, and hit 5 of 6 3-pointers in the first half.

Roddy Gayle Jr.

A guard for Michigan who scored 14 points in the win.

Ose Okojie

Howard's leading scorer with 23 points in the First Four, but was held to just 7 points against Michigan.

Malcolm Gladwell

An author and pop sociologist who wrote the book "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants" which explores how perceived weaknesses can turn into advantages for underdogs.

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What they’re saying

“We have a lot of respect for Howard. Especially everyone that's a fan of Malcolm Gladwell, like I am, but David versus Goliath, according to Malcolm, wasn't necessarily an upset because there's a slingshot involved. In the first half, Howard had their slingshots out.”

— Dusty May, Michigan basketball coach

“Definitely with Duke, we were just watching the game. We seen like, first half, we knew that they came out a little flat, but that's just – [16 /1] game, you kind of look at them like this should be a cakewalk, but that's just really never the case. Every team deserves to be here, and you can't look at any team like that.”

— Roddy Gayle Jr., Michigan guard

“Just making him uncomfortable. I know the second half, we kind of forced them to get out of their sets a little bit, made them play one-on-one a little more. That's something that we really like. I think we liked our matchup one-on-one.”

— Roddy Gayle Jr., Michigan guard

What’s next

Michigan will face 9-seed Saint Louis in the second round on Saturday, March 21 (12:10 p.m., CBS) for a spot in the Midwest region Sweet 16 in Chicago.

The takeaway

This game demonstrates the challenges top seeds face against determined underdog teams in the NCAA Tournament, as seen earlier in the day when 16-seed Siena nearly upset top overall seed Duke. Michigan avoided a similar fate by adjusting its strategy in the second half to take advantage of its size and limit Howard's perimeter shooting.