Wagner basketball vs Howard in March Madness: 3 things to know for 2024 NCAA Tournament opener

Wagner College is a part of March Madness for only the second time since the turn of the century. The Staten Island school is in one of the "First Four" matchups to decide who will play No. 1 seed North Carolina in the West Region.

The Seahawks made a miraculous, out-of-nowhere run to secure their first Northeast Conference title in 21 years despite losing four of five games heading into the conference tournament.

Here are three things you need to know about Wagner and Howard heading into this "First Four" contest in Dayton:

More: Wagner basketball’s March Madness First Four opponent is Howard in 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket

Back-to-back tournament appearances for the Bison

This is the second straight year that Howard will be in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bison, who were also a No. 16 seed in 2023, faced No. 1 seed Kansas in the West Region.

Down 13 heading into halftime, Howard couldn't gain any ground in the second half, losing 96-68 in the first round matchup against the Jayhawks.

Turning losing skids to hot streaks entering NCAA tournament

Similar to Wagner, not much was expected of Howard going into the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC) tournament last week.

In fact, all hope seemed lost when the Bison were at 9-14 in early February.

Since a close 63-61 loss to Hampton Feb. 3, Howard's been on fire. The team won six of their final eight games to close out the regular season.

In the MEAC tournament, the No. 4 seed Bison easily took care of business in the first round with a 78-65 victory over No. 5 seed Morgan State before upsetting No. 1 seed Norfolk State 80-74 in the semifinals.

The following day, Howard held on for a tight, 70-67 victory over No. 6 Delaware State in the MEAC championship game.

Both teams are led by New York natives

The focal point for Wagner has to be guard Melvin Council Jr.

The 6-foot-4 junior hails from Rochester, New York and led the Seahawks in points (14.6), rebounds (5.7) and is second in assists (3.4) per game this season.

Ironically, the Bison are also in this spot because of a 6-foot-4 junior guard from New York.

Bryce Harris, who was born in Brentwood, New York, also leads Howard in both points (16.6) and rebounds (7.6) per contest this year.

Harris scored at least 16 points in each game of the MEAC tournament, including a season-high 28 points in the quarterfinals against Morgan State.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wagner vs Howard: 3 things to know as March Madness begins