Midwest preview: Fresh off first NCAA Tournament win, Howard braces to face No. 1 seed Michigan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Howard coach Kenny Blakeney had a blast the last time he saw Michigan play.

Following the Bison's home win against North Carolina Central on Feb. 21, Blakeney and his family ventured over to Capital One Arena in Washington to catch Michigan's highly anticipated showdown against Duke, which the Blue Devils won 68-63.

"I was there as a fan cheering my brains out, enjoying my day, and just kind of taking it all in to be a fan," Blakeney said Wednesday, recalling his laidback mood in having enjoyed a few tequilas and a couple of cigars before the game. "I saw they were big as hell. I was really impressed how fast they were in transition."

It will be all business for Blakeney and his MEAC champion Bison on Thursday. That's when Howard (24-10) gets an up-close look at just how big and fast the Wolverines (31-3) are in facing the Midwest Region's top-seeded team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"It's going to be certainly a challenge, but I think we'll have fun trying to figure out the puzzle," he said.

In the Midwest's only other game of the day, eighth-seeded Georgia (22-10) plays No. 9 seed Saint Louis (28-5).

Howard is coming off its first NCAA Tournament victory after holding off a frantic rally to beat UMBC 86-83 in a First Four matchup at Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday night.

For the Bison, this marks just their fifth tournament appearance, and third in Blakeney's seven seasons.

Michigan, by comparison, is making its 33rd tournament appearance, and fourth as a No. 1 seed. The Wolverines feature size in 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara and 6-9 forwards Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr., and plenty of speed and play-making ability in guards Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney.

Michigan is coming off a dominant season in which it went 9-2 against ranked opponents, including a 101-61 rout of Gonzaga in November. And the Wolverines' only two losses since mid-January came against Duke and an 80-72 defeat against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament championship game Sunday.

Lendeborg chalked up the most recent loss to the Wolverines being "jittery" to start the second half, and something the team needs to learn from.

"We've got to maintain our composure, stay together like we have been all year, and do whatever we can to make sure that we all play together," he said.

Second-year coach Dusty May pushed back on a question about the team experiencing jitters, suggesting the Boilermakers were instead more determined.

"Their want-to was greater than ours on that day," May said.

The Wolverines can't afford a similar letdown moving forward, especially with a roster filled with transfer-portal additions that's built to win now.

"Everybody is a threat," said Lendeborg, who transferred to Michigan following two seasons at UAB.

"I've been in that predicament before when I was a mid-major. We're going to go in there with nothing to lose, so we're going to play our hearts out. And no matter what happens, we're happy we made it," he added. "Being on this side now, I don't want to lose if this is going to be my last college game ever."

Get ready for a potential track meet as Georgia takes on Saint Louis in the tournament's only first-round matchup of teams with top-10 offenses.

"I think there's a difference in playing fast and playing frantic. And we've got to be able to toggle," Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz said. "We want to play with great pace, but we also want to bring a level of discipline to that pace."

The Billikens are ranked 10th in the nation, averaging 87.2 points per game.

The Bulldogs are even better, ranking fifth at just under 90 points per outing.

"They shoot the 3 ball pretty much as well as us. They probably shoot it better than us," Georgia junior guard Marcus Millender said. "They play a fast-paced game which is what we want to do, so I feel like it's going to be a pretty fun game."

Buckle up.

Georgia is making its 14th tournament appearance and seeking its first victory since beating Murray State in 2002.

The Bulldogs have size and like to push the pace; they lead the country with 19.9 fast-break points per game. And a team labeled the "Dunkyard Dawgs" gets 19% of its field goals on dunks, led by 6-foot-11 center Somto Cyril.

Saint Louis is making its 11th tournament appearance and tied a school record with 28 wins this season.

The Billikens possess more of a perimeter offense led by senior Robbie Avila. The 6-foot-10 forward is strong in the paint and features a deft outside scoring touch in hitting 62 of 149 3-point attempts.

"I'd just say it's all mental for us because they're more physical than us. So we've just got to bring the energy," Saint Louis forward Paul Otieno said.