The first big upset of the NCAA Tournament just dropped.
No. 12-seeded High Point took down No. 5 Wisconsin, 83-82, after a big comeback and wild finish on Thursday.
The Panthers trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and eight points with just over seven minutes left in the game, but managed to pull off the victory.
Down by four with just under a minute left in the game, High Point’s Chase Johnston hit a 3-pointer to cut the Wisconsin lead to one, 82-81.
The Badgers wouldn’t score again.
A couple of possessions later, the Panthers’ Rob Martin would turn a defensive rebound into a fast-break, kicking the ball up to Johnston, who would pour in a layup to give them the lead with 11 seconds left.
The Badgers’ Nick Boyd would end up with a look near the hoop, but Owen Aquino of High Point would get a hand on it, blocking the shot to stop their last real look at a basket.
High Point, which won the Big South for the second straight year, going 30-4 during the regular season, made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history last March.
During that tournament appearance, the No. 13 seed Panthers fell to No. 4 Purdue, who would go on to make the Sweet 16.
The loss is a disappointing end to the season for Wisconsin.
The Badgers, who have appeared in 23 of the 25 tournaments since 1999, went 24-10 heading into the tournament and fell to Michigan during the Big Ten Semifinal.
It’s the second time in three years that Wisconsin lost as a No. 5 seed after having fallen to No. 12 JMU in 2024.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
