High Point defeats Wisconsin 83-82 in first-round NCAA tournament upset
Authored by 4sportbikes.net, 20-03-2026
No. 12 seed High Point rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 19 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The victory marked High Point's first win in NCAA tournament history.[1][2]
High Point, representing the Big South Conference from High Point, North Carolina, earned its automatic bid by winning the conference tournament for the second straight year. The Panthers lost to Purdue 84-62 in the first round of the 2025 NCAA tournament.[1][2][3]
Chase Johnston scored the game-winning layup with 11.7 seconds remaining, converting a breakaway pass from Rob Martin after Wisconsin's Nick Boyd missed a layup that would have given the Badgers an 84-81 lead. It was Johnston's first two-point field goal of the season. Johnston finished with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. High Point was a 10.5-point underdog.[1]
Owen Aquino then blocked a driving layup by Boyd. Cam'Ron Fletcher missed a free throw, but Terry Anderson intercepted Andrew Rohde's inbound pass with 1.8 seconds left to seal the win.[1]
High Point coach Flynn Clayman, in his second season, said after the game: "It looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors early in the season. Because they said we didn't play nobody. We played somebody now."[1]
The Panthers, whose regular-season schedule featured mostly mid-major opponents, advance to the second round. Wisconsin finished the season 24-11.[2]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "High Point is riding high after its first March Madness victory in school history", March 20, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/high-point-panthers-upset-wisconsin-ncaa-tournament
- NCAA.com, "2026 March Madness men's basketball first round: High Point vs. Wisconsin recap", March 19, 2026, https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-03-19/high-point-vs-wisconsin-2026-ncaa-first-round
- NCAA.com, "Purdue 84-62 High Point (Mar 20, 2025) Game Summary", March 20, 2025, https://www.ncaa.com/game/6255396