Wisconsin Falls to High Point in NCAA Tournament Upset
March Madness struck Wisconsin in the worst way possible, falling to High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 83-82. The Badgers’ high hopes of March were shot down by the Panthers, who took full advantage of an opportunity to make major noise.
Wisconsin plagued itself by playing down to the competition, allowing the No. 12 seed to create second-chance opportunities and get buckets in any way it wanted. Greg Gard and the Badgers’ Sweet Sixteen drought extended to nine seasons on Thursday.
Sloppy First Half Gave Wisconsin a Narrow Lead
The first half was dominated by sloppy play from the Badgers, who gave up eight offensive rebounds. They started with a 15-5 run, led by Nick Boyd, but High Point responded with second-chance opportunities. Cam’Ron Fletcher was hot off the bench, putting up 11 points and six rebounds on 4-for-8 shooting from the field.
If not for John Blackwell’s 20 points in 19 minutes, Wisconsin could have been down at the break. The junior star was getting everything from the field, keeping the offense afloat. The Badgers actually posted solid shooting splits (43% from three), but it was the defensive end that significantly lacked.
Both sides traded baskets to close the half, but the Badgers were incapable of scoring inside against a smaller unit. High Point’s rotation didn’t feature a player over 6-foot-8, while Wisconsin featured Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp and Aleksas Bieliauksas. The team was outscored in the paint, 18-14.
At the break, the Badgers were up 41-39, but the feeling going into halftime was concern. They led by as many as 10, but that lead was squandered too fast.
Badgers Squander Second Half
Boyd returned to his ways to start the half, attacking the basket and finding open teammates as a floor general. The Badgers needed that as Blackwell disappeared offensively, going on a 13-9 run. But High Point couldn’t stop grabbing offensive rebounds. The Panthers stayed in it by taking as many shots as possible while garnering second-chance opportunities.
While Fletcher remained an effective contributor, Rob Martin’s unbelievable shot-making led High Point with 23 points and 10 assists. The Panthers weren’t posting spectacular shooting splits after the break, but the scrappiness and Wisconsin’s inability to form a paint presence kept the No. 12 within single digits down the stretch.
A 35-foot bomb from Chase Johnston, followed by a Scotty Washington triple, helped cut the lead to two. The Panthers’ 8-2 run cut the lead, and from there, both sides traded buckets. Johnston nailed his fourth triple of the day with 55 seconds left to slice it to one.
A Blackwell turnover gave High Point a chance to take the lead after a challenge. The Panthers missed, but got a stop, which led to a Johnston layup. It was his first two-pointer of the season. They went up one point with 11.7 seconds to go.
A block on Boyd set up Fletcher’s free throws, but he missed the one-and-one to give Wisconsin a game-winning opportunity with 1.8 seconds left. The heave landed with High Point, and so did the upset.
Boyd led the game with 27 points, while Blackwell followed with 22 and 10 rebounds. It simply wasn’t enough to halt the Panthers’ hot shooting in clutch time.
