UMBC vs. Howard odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

The UMBC Retrievers battle the Howard Bison in a First Four matchup in the Midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night. The winner will be the 16th seed and will face the one-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Thursday. UMBC won the American East title over the University of Vermont by a score of 74-59, while Howard won the MEAC tournament 70-63 over the North Carolina Central Eagles. The Retrievers (24 - 8), who finished in first place in the American East, have won twelve straight games. The Bison (23-10), who finished in first place in the MEAC, have won eight straight games. 

Tip-off from UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. Howards has the all-time series lead, 5-2. The Retrievers and Bison met last season, with the Retrievers winning 95-77. UMBC is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest UMBC vs Howard odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 139.5. 

Before making any Howard vs. UMBC picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated UMBC vs Howard 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits 60% of the time!

So who wins UMBC vs Howard, and which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times!