The Ultimate March Irony: High Point’s 3-Point Specialist Busts Wisconsin’s Bracket with a Layup
Let me paint a picture for you. It’s March. The air inside the Moda Center in Portland is thick with that familiar, pulse-pounding tension that only the NCAA Tournament can produce. You’ve got the No. 5 seed Wisconsin Badgers, a powerhouse program with a pedigree, trying to fend off a plucky No. 12 seed in the High Point Panthers.
With just over 11 seconds left on the clock and the Panthers trailing, the ball finds its way to Chase Johnston. Johnston is a guy who has treated the three-point line like a protective barrier all season. Seriously, the man had not made a single two-point basket all year. But in the biggest moment of his college career, the sharpshooter didn’t pull up from the parking lot. He drove to the rack.
And just like that, with a simple, frantic layup, High Point secured an 83-82 upset victory that absolutely shredded brackets across the country.
The Anatomy of a March Miracle
To truly appreciate the absurdity and the sheer poetry of this moment, you have to understand who Chase Johnston is. Before Thursday’s tip-off, Johnston was 0-for-4 from inside the arc on the entire season. He makes his living from deep. Coming into this game, he had sunk 68 three-pointers on 138 attempts. He’s an absolute sniper.
So, when High Point guard Rob Martin ripped down a crucial defensive rebound with the clock ticking down, Wisconsin’s defense was probably terrified of the kick-out three. Instead, Martin hurled a beautiful outlet pass across the hardwood right into the hands of Johnston.
With an open lane staring him down, Johnston didn’t overthink it. He didn’t step back. He just went up and put it in.
“When Rob threw that up, I wasn’t thinking whether it was a 2 or a 3. I was just trying to put it in and win this game,” Johnston said after the madness had subsided. It was his first two-pointer of the year, and it just happened to be the game-winner in the Big Dance. You literally cannot write a better script.
The Comeback That Defied the Odds
Let’s rewind a bit, because this upset was almost a pipe dream just a few minutes earlier. With five minutes left in the second half, Wisconsin was up by eight. The Badgers were doing what Big Ten teams do—grinding the clock, leaning on their size, and trying to put the mid-major to bed.
But High Point, a team that racked up 30 wins this season only to be slapped with a somewhat disrespectful No. 12 seed, refused to quietly pack their bags. Johnston, operating in his natural habitat, sparked the rally. He took a feed from Martin and casually drained a three-pointer from the logo, cutting the deficit to five and breathing life back into the Panthers’ bench.
He buried two more massive triples down the stretch, finishing with 14 points off the bench—11 of which came during that frantic, do-or-die second half. He went 4-of-6 from downtown, softening the Wisconsin defense just enough to set up that fateful, historic layup.
A Veteran’s Ultimate Reward
This isn’t just a story about a lucky shot. It’s a story about grinding it out. Johnston has bounced around the college hoops landscape, with stints at Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast before finding a home at High Point for his final two seasons. He’s played in 165 Division I games—the fourth-most among all active players. He ranks second in the nation in career three-pointers with 415.
He’s a veteran who accepted a bench role this season because High Point head coach Flynn Clayman needed a different starting look.
“I asked him to take a bench role because we were a little small to start games, and his willingness to take that role and keep leading, and then at the end of the season to be doing what he’s doing, speaks to how selfless these guys are,” Clayman said, fighting back the very real emotion that comes with a milestone victory.
Rewriting the History Books
The impact of this win resonates way beyond this year’s tournament. High Point became the first Big South team to win an NCAA tournament game since Radford pulled it off in the 2018 First Four. Even more impressive? They are the first Big South squad to knock off a higher seed in the Round of 64 since Winthrop stunned Notre Dame back in 2007.
“It’s a feeling you can’t put into words,” Johnston said, soaking in the aftermath of a game he will be talking about for the rest of his life. “To be on this stage and play a game like this is something you dream about.”
March Madness is built on the backs of guys like Chase Johnston. It’s a tournament where a guy who hasn’t hit a two-pointer all season can suddenly become a hero by driving to the rim. It’s unscripted, it’s chaotic, and it’s why we love this sport. Wisconsin is heading home, and High Point is dancing on.Welcome to March, folks. It’s beautiful.
