No. 12 seed High Point defeats No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 in first-round NCAA men's tournament game
Authored by zh-ayx-sports.com, Mar 20, 2026
High Point University rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat Wisconsin 83-82 in a first-round game of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 19, 2026, at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The victory marked High Point's first win in NCAA tournament history.[1]
High Point guard Chase Johnston scored a layup with 11.7 seconds remaining to give the Panthers the lead. The basket followed a missed layup by Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd, with High Point guard Rob Martin securing the rebound and passing ahead to Johnston on the breakaway. Johnston, a three-point specialist, recorded his first two-point field goal of the season.
Wisconsin's next possession ended with a block by High Point's Owen Aquino on Boyd's drive. Cam'Ron Fletcher was fouled and missed a free throw for High Point, leaving 1.8 seconds. Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde's inbound pass was then intercepted by High Point's Terry Anderson to seal the win.
Postgame, Johnston said: "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."[2]
The Panthers, who compete in the Big South Conference out of High Point, North Carolina, earned an automatic bid by winning the conference tournament for the second consecutive season. High Point made its NCAA tournament debut last year as a No. 13 seed, falling to No. 4 Purdue in the first round.[3][4]
The win came in first-year head coach Flynn Clayman's debut NCAA tournament game. High Point, the No. 12 seed in its region, advances to face No. 4 seed Arkansas in the second round on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Moda Center.[1]
Sources
- NCAA; "NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee announces first-, second-round sites for 2026, 2027 and 2028 championships"; April 26, 2024; https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-04-26/ncaa-division-i-mens-basketball-committee-announces-first-second-round-sites
- Fox News; "After No. 12 High Point pulled off a major upset in March Madness, faith was the only thing on one Panther's mind"; Accessed October 2024; https://www.foxnews.com/sports
- High Point University Athletics; "Men's Basketball"; Accessed October 2024; https://highpointpanthers.com/sports/mens-basketball
- Big South Conference; "Men's Basketball"; Accessed October 2024; https://bigsouthsports.com/sport/mbball/