Michigan basketball plays first March Madness 2026 game today. Here's what to know.
The Michigan men's basketball team begins its quest for a second national championship on Thursday when it takes on the Howard Bison in a first-round matchup in the Midwest region.
The Wolverines (31-3) earned the No. 1 seed and will face the No. 16 seed Bison (24-10) in Buffalo, New York.
Howard won both the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Bison record their first-ever NCAA tournament win on Tuesday with an 86-83 victory over the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in a First Four game.
What time does Michigan play?
Tip-off for Thursday's first-round game from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, tips off at 7:10 p.m. ET.
How to watch Michigan's first March Madness game
You can watch Thursday's game at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS.
How far has Michigan made it in March Madness?
Michigan has claimed one national championship when it downed Seton Hall 80-79 in overtime in the 1989 title game. The Wolverines also posted runner-up finishes in 1992, 1993, 2013 and 2018, but had to vacate their 1992 and 1993 Final Four runs because of an NCAA violations scandal involving booster Ed Martin.
The Wolverines have made 32 NCAA Tournament appearances and eight Final Four appearances (1964, 1965, 1976, 1989, 1992, 1993, 2013 and 2018). Michigan's first tournament bid came back in 1948.
Michigan has posted a 68-31 record (including wins later vacated by the NCAA) in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines have reached at least the Sweet 16 round in each of their last six NCAA tournament appearances.
Is Michigan or Howard predicted to win?
DraftKings projects Michigan as a 31.5-point favorite. The over/under is set at 151.5.
This is the second all-time meeting between the two schools.
Michigan and Howard players to watch
Michigan senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg leads the Wolverines with 14.6 points per game. Lendeborg scored 20 in Michigan's 80-72 loss to Purdue in the Big Ten tournament championship game. Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. averages 13.1 points per contest.
Howard has a pair of scorers averaging 17.1 points per contest in junior guard Cedric Taylor III and senior guard Bryce Harris. Taylor and Harris combined for 35 points in Howard's win over UMBC on Tuesday.