No. 12 High Point upsets No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 in first-round NCAA tournament game
Authored by findgamesonline.com, 20-03-2026
High Point University rallied from a double-digit deficit to defeat Wisconsin 83-82 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 19, 2026, at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The win marked the Panthers' first victory in program history in the event.
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. Johnston, a three-point specialist, recorded his first two-point field goal of the season on the play.
Following Johnston's bucket, High Point's Owen Aquino blocked another driving layup attempt 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 victory.
In postgame comments, 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 Panthers, members of the Big South Conference, earned their tournament berth by winning the league title for the second consecutive season.[1] High Point lost in the first round last year as a No. 13 seed to No. 4 Purdue. The team is coached by first-year head coach Flynn Clayman.
Wisconsin, from the Big Ten Conference, entered as the No. 5 seed in their region.[2] The loss was the first upset of the 2026 tournament.
High Point advances to face No. 4 Arkansas on March 21, 2026.
Moda Center, home of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, has hosted multiple NCAA tournament first- and second-round games in past years.[3]
Sources
- High Point University Athletics; Men's Basketball; Accessed October 2024; https://highpointpanthers.com/sports/mens-basketball
- Wikipedia; 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament; Accessed October 2024; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_tournament
- Wikipedia; Moda Center; Accessed October 2024; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moda_Center