High Point 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 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
The Panthers, who compete in the Big South Conference,[1] recorded their first tournament victory. They earned their bid by winning the Big South title for the second straight season, after losing in the first round last year as a No. 13 seed to No. 4 Purdue.
With 11.7 seconds left, guard Chase Johnston made a breakaway layup for the game-winning basket. The play followed a missed layup by Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd, which would have given the Badgers an 84-81 lead had it gone in. High Point guard Rob Martin grabbed the rebound and passed ahead to Johnston, a three-point specialist whose layup was his first two-point field goal of the season.
After Johnston's basket put High Point ahead 83-82, forward Owen Aquino blocked a driving layup attempt by Boyd. Panthers forward Cam'Ron Fletcher was fouled and missed a free throw, leaving 1.8 seconds for Wisconsin. Guard Andrew Rohde's long inbound pass was intercepted by High Point's Terry Anderson to end the game.
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 win came in first-year coach Flynn Clayman's debut NCAA tournament appearance with High Point. The Panthers advance to the second round against No. 4 seed Arkansas on March 21.
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament features 68 teams in a single-elimination format, with the first round consisting of 32 games across four regions.[4]
- Key final sequence:
- Nick Boyd misses layup (would-be 84-81 Wisconsin lead)
- Rob Martin rebounds, passes to streaking Chase Johnston for layup (High Point 83-82, 11.7s left)
- Owen Aquino blocks Boyd's drive
- Cam'Ron Fletcher misses free throw
- Terry Anderson steals Andrew Rohde's inbound pass (1.8s left)
Sources
- High Point University Athletics. "Men's Basketball". Accessed October 2024. https://highpointpanthers.com/sports/mens-basketball
- University of Wisconsin Athletics. "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
- NCAA.com. "Men's Basketball". Accessed October 2024. https://www.ncaa.com/sports/basketball-men/d1
