No. 12 seed High Point University rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82 on March 19, 2026, at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, marking the Panthers' first win in NCAA tournament history and the tournament's first upset.[1]
High Point guard Chase Johnston scored the game-winning layup with 11.7 seconds remaining after grabbing a breakaway pass from teammate Rob Martin off a missed layup by Wisconsin's Nick Boyd.[1] The bucket, Johnston's first two-point field goal of the season, gave the Panthers the lead.[1]
In a postgame interview, 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."[1]
Wisconsin had a final chance after High Point's Cam'Ron Fletcher missed a free throw, but Owen Aquino blocked Nick Boyd's drive, and Terry Anderson intercepted Andrew Rohde's inbounds pass with 1.8 seconds left.[1]
The Panthers, representing the Big South Conference, qualified by winning their second straight conference title.[1][2] High Point lost in the first round last year as a No. 13 seed to No. 4 Purdue.[1]
First-year High Point coach Flynn Clayman guided the team to the win.[1] The Panthers face No. 4 Arkansas in the second round on Saturday.[1]
High Point University, located in High Point, North Carolina, competes in NCAA Division I as part of the Big South Conference.[2] The Wisconsin Badgers compete in the Big Ten Conference.[3] Moda Center has hosted NCAA tournament first-round games in past years.[4]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "After No. 12 High Point pulled off a major upset in March Madness...", publication date not specified (accessed October 2024), https://www.foxnews.com/sports
- High Point Panthers official athletics site, "Men's Basketball", accessed October 2024, https://highpointpanthers.com/sports/mens-basketball/
- Wisconsin Badgers official athletics site, "Men's Basketball", accessed October 2024, https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-basketball/
- Wikipedia, "Moda Center", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moda_Center