highpoint university delivered a heart-stopping March Madness upset on March 19, 2026, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, rallying from a double-digit deficit to beat No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82. The 12th-seeded Panthers sealed their first NCAA Tournament win in school history on a breakaway layup with 11. 7 seconds left, flipping the game’s final minute into a sprint of missed chances and sudden swings. The win matters beyond one night: it immediately reignited the debate over scheduling and whether major-conference teams avoid dangerous mid-majors before the bracket begins.
Highpoint University’s final-minute swing: the layup that changed everything
The finish was defined by one decisive run and one defining shot. Wisconsin led 82-78 entering the final minute, then High Point guard Chase Johnston drilled a 3-pointer to pull within one. After empty possessions on both ends, Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd missed a layup attempt, and High Point guard Rob Martin secured the rebound and launched an outlet downcourt to a streaking Johnston.
Johnston converted the fast-break layup with 11. 7 seconds remaining, giving High Point the lead at 83-82. The moment carried an extra layer of improbability: the layup was Johnston’s first two-point basket of the season. On Wisconsin’s last real chance, Owen Aquino blocked a driving layup by Boyd, and the final desperation sequence ended when Andrew Rohde’s long pass was stolen by Terry Anderson with about a second remaining, setting off the celebration.
Johnston finished with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Martin posted 23 points and 10 assists. Wisconsin was led by Nick Boyd with 27 points, while John Blackwell added 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Coach Flynn Clayman challenges major conferences after the upset
In the immediate aftermath, High Point head coach Flynn Clayman used the spotlight to call out what he described as a reluctance from high-major programs to schedule teams like his.
“It looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors early in the season. Because they said we didn’t play nobody. We played somebody now, ” Clayman said shortly after the victory.
He continued: “I know how good of a team we are. But nobody would play us, just like they wouldn’t play Miami (Ohio). But they gotta play us in this tournament. ” Clayman’s comments landed with added force because High Point’s schedule, as described after the game, was filled with fellow mid-major schools—leaving fewer chances to prove itself against the kind of opponent the Panthers just eliminated.
Student broadcasters surge online as the call of the upset goes viral
The night’s energy didn’t stay in the arena. A video of High Point student broadcasters calling the closing moments—set over the television broadcast—racked up more than 1. 7 million views on the students’ X account. The clip captured the chaos of the final possessions and the emotional snap of the comeback as the score turned and the buzzer neared.
For the Panthers’ fanbase, the viral spread became an instant second wave of celebration, matching the intensity of the upset’s closing seconds with a moment of visibility far beyond Portland.
Quick context and what’s next
High Point reached the tournament by winning the Big South title for the second straight season, and this victory marked the program’s first March Madness win after a first-round loss to Purdue last year. Wisconsin, which entered with a 24-11 record, headed into the result after falling to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Next on the bracket: High Point will face No. 4 seed Arkansas in the round of 32 on Saturday. After the first March Madness win in school history, highpoint university now moves from surprise story to hunted opponent—one more game to prove the point its coach made in real time.
