Columbia, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons men's basketball team is gearing up for their trip to Danville, Illinois this week, as they will compete in the upcoming NJCAA Division II National Tournament!

The Dragons are scheduled to face Des Moines Area Community College at 7:00 PM on Monday, March 17. Howard will be the 12 seed for the tournament, while DMACC will be seeded 5th.

The Bears finished the regular season with a 29-3 record, but were upset in the semifinals of the Region 11 playoffs. As one of the top-five teams in the nation, they received an at-large bid for the tournament.

The Dragons finished the season with a 25-5 record, defeating Chesapeake College 61-50 in the Region 20 championship. The title marked the second-straight Region 20 championship won by the Dragons, and the third title won this decade. The Dragons won the 2020 championship, but were unable to play in the national tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were scheduled to play North Central Missouri College in that contest.

The Dragons faced Florida State College at Jacksonville in last year's national tournament, losing 89-75 in the first round. They played a consolation game against the County College of Morris two days later, falling 89-77. Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise), Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach), Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin), and Arthur Roaché all played in those tournament games for the Dragons.

With a higher seed entering the tournament than last year, the Dragons are full of optimism for this year's trip to Danville!