In the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, No. 12 seed High Point rallied from a double-digit deficit to upset No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, on March 19, 2026. The victory marked High Point's first win in NCAA tournament history.
High Point guard Chase Johnston scored the game-winning layup with 11.7 seconds remaining. The Panthers secured the rebound after Wisconsin's Nick Boyd missed a layup that would have extended the Badgers' lead to 84-81. Rob Martin passed ahead to Johnston, who converted the breakaway basket -- his first two-pointer of the season despite being known as a 3-point specialist.
After taking the lead, Owen Aquino blocked Boyd's drive. Cam'Ron Fletcher missed one of two free throws, but with 1.8 seconds left, Terry Anderson intercepted Andrew Rohde's inbounds pass to seal the win for first-year coach Flynn Clayman.
High Point qualified by winning the Big South Conference title for the second consecutive season. The Panthers made their tournament debut last year as a No. 13 seed, falling to No. 4 Purdue.
Postgame, Johnston credited his faith: "First and foremost, I wanna give all glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's been an unbelievable season. This is a group of guys that's built on John 15:13. We serve each other, we love each other, and we’d die for each other. I'm so grateful."
The High Point Panthers compete in the Big South Conference and are based in High Point, North Carolina.[1] The Wisconsin Badgers represent the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the Big Ten Conference.[2]
Moda Center, located in Portland, Oregon, has hosted NCAA tournament games in previous years.[3]
High Point faces No. 4 Arkansas in the second round on Saturday.
Sources
- Wikipedia. "High Point Panthers men's basketball." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Point_Panthers_men%27s_basketball
- Wikipedia. "Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Badgers_men%27s_basketball
- Wikipedia. "Moda Center." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moda_Center
