The first major upset of the 2026 NCAA Tournament occurred during the opening round with High Point knocking off Wisconsin in a thriller, 83-82. The eventual game-winning basket came from Chase Johnston, who scored on the only 2-point shot he’s made all season, to push High Point to the round of 32 in March Madness.
Coming into the game, Johnston had taken only four 2-point shot attempts during the year, and had missed all of them. He had only made 3-point shots this season. Prior to his go-ahead basket, Johnston had made four shots in the game, all of them 3-pointers. He finished with 14 points off the bench in 22 minutes of play.
Not only was the win significant for High Point in that they upset a major program, but it was also the team’s first win against a power conference program in High Point history. They had been 0-57 before Thursday’s NCAA Tournament upset. High Point came into the game as a No. 12 seed while Wisconsin was a No. 5 seed.
High Point will now move on to the round of 32 where they await the winner between No. 4 Arkansas and No. 13 Hawaii.
This is Flynn Clayman’s first season at the helm as High Point head coach, and third season with the program overall. He joined the staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2023-24 season, and then became head coach when Alan Huss departed for Creighton.
Clayman led the Panthers to a 31-4 overall record, and 15-1 in the Big South Conference en route to winning the conference tournament and earning the automatic bid. Prior to this season, his only other head coaching experience was in 2022-23 with Southern Utah.Crai
