Help send the Howard University Bison to the Big Dance

WASHINGTON — The Howard University Bison are heading to Iowa for the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday. Fans are invited to the university campus to send them off in style.

Supporters of the team are asked to meet at Cramton Auditorium at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday for the sendoff celebration, the team said in a tweet. 

Howard will take on the Kansas Jayhawks in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday. Kansas (27-7) is the No. 1 seed in stacked West Region. The West Region includes No. 2 UCLA, No. 9 Gonzaga, No. 11 UConn, No. 16 Saint Mary's and No. 22 TCU. Howard earned the No. 16 seed after taking down Norfolk State University by just one point.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Howard is one of the biggest underdogs in the tournament. Kansas is a 21 1/2-point favorite over Howard in their first-round matchup. But who doesn't love a Cinderella story?

The Bison last appeared in the NCAA tournament in the 1991-92 season, when it won the MEAC tournament after finishing as regular-season co-champions with North Carolina A&T with a 12-4 record.