No. 12 seed High Point beats No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82 in NCAA men's tournament first round

High Point University defeated the University of Wisconsin 83-82 on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.[1]

High Point guard Chase Johnston scored the game-winning layup with 11 seconds remaining. The play followed a missed layup by Wisconsin's Nick Boyd that would have given the Badgers an 84-81 lead. High Point's Rob Martin grabbed the rebound and passed ahead to Johnston on the breakaway.[1]

Johnston finished with 14 points off the bench, including 4 of 6 from three-point range. The layup was his first two-point field goal of the season.[1]

Martin led High Point with 23 points and 10 assists. Terry Anderson added 15 points, Cam'Ron Fletcher 14 and Owen Aquino 11.[1]

For Wisconsin, Nick Boyd scored 27 points with five rebounds and six assists. John Blackwell had 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Austin Rapp contributed 12 points.[1]

The win gave High Point its first NCAA tournament victory in the program's second appearance. The Panthers from High Point, North Carolina, compete in the Big South Conference.[1][2]

Wisconsin, from the Big Ten Conference, suffered a first-round loss as a No. 5 seed for the second time in three seasons. The Badgers fell 72-61 to No. 12 seed James Madison in the 2024 first round.[1][3] Wisconsin did not qualify for the 2025 tournament.[4]

The Badgers' last trip beyond the second round was a Sweet 16 loss to Florida in 2017.[5]