yahoo - 3/19/2026 10:13:46 PM - GMT (+2 )
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PORTLAND, OR — The first upset of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is complete with No. 12 seed High Point taking down No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82 in the opening round of March Madness.
A popular upset pick, the Panthers entered the tournament one of the best scoring teams in the country. With Wisconsin another prolific scoring unit with a knack for knocking down 3-pointers, it was expected to be a high-scoring affair.
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It wasn’t exactly the case, but it made for a classic finish inside Moda Center on Thursday, March 19.
The upset was powered by a late comeback by the Panthers. They trailed by eight points with five minutes to go when it was knocking down 3-pointers at-will to tie the game in the final minutes. High Point was down by one point in the final minute when Rob Martin found Chase Johnson, who hadn't shot a 2-point shot all season, ahead on a fastbreak for the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left.
Wisconsin's Nick Boyd had his shot blocked in the final seconds, and High Point secured the ball and were fouled. It was unable to hit the front end of the one-and-one, but the Badgers couldn't drill the last second heave.
Even though Wisconsin came in one of the best 3-point shooting teams, averaging 11.8 made shots from deep, High Point knocked down more. It made 14, while the Badgers made nine.
Four High Point players were in double figures, led by 23 points from Rob Martin. Boyd led Wisconsin with 27 points.
Off the jump, it looked like this wasn’t going to be close. After scoring first, High Point struggled to find the basket, missing several 3-pointers as the Badgers were up by 10 points less than five minutes into the contest.
But the Panthers didn’t fold. They started attacking inside the arc and slowly chipped away at the deficit, keeping pace with Wisconsin. The deep shots eventually came, and the Panthers kept the momentum up out of halftime to retake the lead early in the second half to set up the thrilling finish.
Not only is it the first NCAA Tournament win in High Point history, but it also extends the longest active win streak in the country, making it 15-straight for the Panthers. Now the 12th seed awaits the winner of No. 4 seed Arkansas and No. 13 Hawai’i in the second round on Saturday, March 21.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: High Point beats Wisconsin in first March Madness upset of 2026 tournament
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