High Point coach calls out big programs for scheduling practices after major upset
By David Wasson
Published:
Power conferences beware: March is for the mid-majors, too.
That was the message High Point delivered loud and clear Thursday in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, as the 12th-seeded Panthers knocked out fifth-seeded Wisconsin 83-82 in a West Region first round game.
Reserve guard Chase Johnston, who had not made a single 2-point basket all season, converted on a fast-break layup with 11.7 seconds to play to lift High Point to its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history. And after the game, Panthers coach Flynn Clayman took aim at big-time programs like the Badgers ducking mid-majors like his.
“Looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors early in the season,” Clayman said. “Because they said we didn’t play nobody. We played somebody now.”
Johnston finished with 14 points, including four 3-pointers for the Panthers. He came in shooting 64 of 136 (47.1 percent) from 3-point range but 0 of 4 inside the arc.
High Point earned a spot in the Big Dance by winning the Big South title for the second straight season. Thursday marked the first March Madness win for the Panthers, who lost to Purdue in the first round last year in their first NCAA Tournament journey.
Rob Martin had 23 points and 10 assists for High Point, which will face either 13th-seeded Hawaii or fourth-seeded Arkansas in the second round of the West Region on Saturday.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
