No. 12 seed High Point University rallied from a double-digit deficit to defeat No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82 on March 19, 2026, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The victory marked the tournament's first upset and High Point's first win in program history.
High Point guard Chase Johnston scored the game-winning layup with 11.7 seconds left after grabbing a rebound from a missed layup by Wisconsin's Nick Boyd and passing to the streaking Johnston, a 3-point specialist for whom it was the first 2-point field goal of the season.
Owen Aquino then blocked Boyd's drive, and Cam'Ron Fletcher was fouled but missed one free throw. With 1.8 seconds left, Terry Anderson intercepted Andrew Rohde's inbound pass to seal the win for the Panthers.
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."
The Panthers, members of the Big South Conference based in High Point, North Carolina, qualified by winning the conference title for the second straight year.[1] Last season marked their first NCAA tournament appearance, where they fell as a No. 13 seed to No. 4 Purdue.
First-year coach Flynn Clayman guided the team to the upset. High Point faces No. 4 seed Arkansas in the second round on March 21, 2026.
The Moda Center, home to the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, has hosted NCAA tournament first- and second-round games in previous years.[2] The NCAA tournament features 68 teams in a single-elimination format, with seeding determining initial matchups such as 5 vs. 12.[3]
Sources
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia
Article/page title: High Point Panthers men's basketball
Accessed: October 2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Point_Panthers_men%27s_basketball - Encyclopedia: Wikipedia
Article/page title: Moda Center
Accessed: October 2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moda_Center - NCAA
Article/page title: NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket
Publication date: March 17, 2024
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men - Fox News
Article/page title: Sports Coverage
Accessed: October 2024
https://www.foxnews.com/sports
