High Point University defeated the University of Wisconsin 83-82 in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
High Point guard Chase Johnston scored the game-winning layup with 11 seconds remaining on a breakaway after Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd missed a layup that would have given the Badgers an 84-81 lead. High Point guard Rob Martin grabbed the rebound and passed ahead to Johnston, who finished for his first two-point field goal of the season. Johnston added 14 points off the bench, including 4-for-6 from three-point range.
Martin led High Point with 23 points and 10 assists. Teammates Owen Aquino (11 points), Terry Anderson (15 points) and Cam'Ron Fletcher (14 points) also reached double figures in scoring.
For Wisconsin, Boyd scored 27 points with five rebounds and six assists. John Blackwell recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Austin Rapp contributed 12 points.
The win marked High Point's first NCAA tournament victory in the program's second appearance; the Panthers made their debut last year.[1] High Point, based in High Point, North Carolina, competes in the Big South Conference.[2]
Wisconsin, representing the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Big Ten Conference, suffered its second first-round loss as a No. 5 seed in three years.[3] The Badgers fell 72-61 to James Madison in the 2024 first round.[1] In 2025, Wisconsin lost 91-89 to BYU in the second round. The program's last advancement beyond the second round came in 2017, with a Sweet 16 loss to Florida.[4]
Sources
- NCAA - No. 12 James Madison shocks No. 5 Wisconsin in first round of NCAA tournament - March 21, 2024 - https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-03-21/no-12-james-madison-shocks-no-5-wisconsin-first-round-ncaa-tournament
- Wikipedia - High Point Panthers men's basketball - Accessed October 2024 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Point_Panthers_men%27s_basketball
- NCAA - 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament bracket - March 17, 2024 - https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-03-17/2024-ncaa-di-mens-basketball-bracket-march-madness
- NCAA - No. 4 seed Florida survives against No. 8 Wisconsin to reach Sweet 16 - March 23, 2017 - https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2017-03-23/no-4-seed-florida-survives-wisconsin-reach-sweet-16
