Chase Johnston's Layup Stuns Wisconsin: High Point Upsets No. 5

March Madness delivered its first jaw-dropping moment of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 19, when No. 12 seed High Point University stunned No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. But the storyline that has college basketball fans talking isn't just the upset — it's the man who made it happen. Guard Chase Johnston, who had not converted a single two-point field goal all season long, stepped up and sank a go-ahead layup with 11.5 seconds remaining to send the Panthers to the next round and send the internet into a frenzy. It is the kind of moment March Madness was made for.

The Final Seconds That Shocked College Basketball

With the score tied and the clock winding down, Chase Johnston drove to the basket and laid the ball in — his first successful two-point field goal of the entire 2026 season. Entering the tournament, Johnston was 0-for-4 from inside the arc. He had attempted 136 total shots on the year, and 132 of them were from three-point range. The layup was, statistically speaking, an anomaly — and it gave High Point an 83-82 lead.

Wisconsin still had a chance. Star guard Nick Boyd, who finished with 27 points, drove hard to the rim in the closing seconds, but was met by High Point's Owen Aquino, who blocked the attempt cleanly. After a missed free throw by Cam Fletcher with 2.1 seconds remaining, Terry Anderson intercepted Wisconsin's desperate full-court heave to seal the stunning victory. The final sequence was pure chaos — exactly what March Madness promises and so rarely delivers so perfectly.

Who Is Chase Johnston? The Sharpshooter Behind the Story

Chase Johnston is a sixth-year senior with a college career that reads like a road map of perseverance. He began at Stetson, where he played two seasons before transferring to Florida Gulf Coast. An injury derailed the majority of his time with FGCU in 2023-24. He then made one final move — to High Point University — to close out his college career.

At High Point, Johnston averaged 6.9 points per game and shot an impressive 42.5% from three-point range across 35 games. His entire offensive identity is built around the three-ball. Over the course of the 2024-25 season, he made at least 16 two-point field goals — but this season, entering March 19, he was 0-for-4 from inside the arc. The Sporting News broke down his unique statistical profile, noting that nearly every shot he takes is a three-pointer — a modern basketball archetype taken to its extreme.

On the season, Johnston shot 64-for-132 from three-point range, a figure that puts him near 48.5% efficiency from beyond the arc. He is, by design, a specialist. What nobody expected was for that specialist to win a tournament game with the one shot he almost never attempts.

Johnston's Performance Against Wisconsin: A Game for the Ages

Johnston finished with 14 points on the evening — 12 from four three-pointers and 2 from the historic game-winner. He saved his best for the second half, scoring 11 of his 14 points after halftime as High Point mounted a dramatic comeback. SB Nation described the moment as one of the quirkiest and most dramatic in recent NCAA Tournament history — a player whose entire season identity was built on threes, winning the game with a layup.

As a team, High Point shot 15-for-40 from three-point range in the game, including a blistering 9-for-17 clip in the second half. That second-half shooting barrage is what turned a Wisconsin lead into a Panthers victory.

Rob Martin and the Supporting Cast That Made It Possible

While Johnston's layup is the moment everyone will remember, High Point's victory was built on the back of Rob Martin's dominant performance. Martin, a transfer from San Diego State, put up a remarkable 23 points and 10 assists — a complete, controlling game from a player who has quietly been one of the best transfers in mid-major basketball this season. His ability to create for himself and others kept the Panthers competitive throughout.

On the Wisconsin side, Nick Boyd's 27 points were not enough. John Blackwell was electric in the first half, scoring 20 points — but completely fell off in the second, going 1-for-7 with just 2 points and committing 5 turnovers after the break. That second-half collapse from Blackwell opened the door for High Point, and the Panthers ran through it.

High Point's Historic Upset in Context

This is High Point University's first NCAA Tournament win and just their second tournament appearance ever. Their debut came in 2025, where they lost to Purdue in the first round. One year later, they are dancing past a Power Conference program and into the next round of March Madness.

Head coach Flynn Clayman has built something real in High Point, North Carolina. The Panthers' three-point-heavy offensive system — on full display against Wisconsin — is modern, efficient, and clearly capable of doing damage on college basketball's biggest stage.

Yahoo Sports compared Johnston's statistical profile to Jack Gohlke, the Oakland sharpshooter who became a cult hero during the 2024 NCAA Tournament for a similarly extreme three-point-heavy approach. Like Gohlke, Johnston has captured the imagination of casual fans who love a specialist having a defining moment. Unlike Gohlke, Johnston's moment came from a completely different shot — which makes the story even more surreal.

MSN's profile of Johnston captures the absurdity and beauty of the moment perfectly: a player who had literally not made a two-point shot all season, winning a March Madness game with one.

Why This Moment Has Gone Viral

Sports fans are drawn to narrative, and few narratives write themselves as cleanly as this one. A sixth-year senior, a three-point specialist, a player who transferred three times and battled injury — stepping up in the biggest moment of his college career with a shot he almost never takes. It is the stuff of sports movies.

The 12-over-5 upset is historically one of the most reliable upsets in the NCAA Tournament bracket, occurring frequently enough that experienced bracket-makers almost always consider it. But the manner in which this one unfolded — the blocked shot, the missed free throw, the intercepted heave, and Johnston's improbable layup at the center of it all — elevated this from a bracket buster to a genuine viral moment.

Social media lit up within seconds of the final buzzer. Johnston's name trended nationally. The clip of the layup and the subsequent block has been shared millions of times across platforms. This is exactly the kind of human interest story that transcends sports fandom and reaches general audiences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Chase Johnston from High Point University?

Chase Johnston is a sixth-year senior guard at High Point University. He began his college career at Stetson, transferred to Florida Gulf Coast, and then transferred to High Point. He is known as an elite three-point shooter, averaging 6.9 points per game this season while shooting nearly 50% from beyond the arc.

What made Chase Johnston's game-winner so unusual?

Johnston's go-ahead layup with 11.5 seconds remaining was his first made two-point field goal of the entire 2026 season. Entering the game, he was 0-for-4 from two-point range and had attempted 132 of his 136 total shots from three-point territory. Scoring the winning bucket with the one shot he almost never takes made the moment genuinely historic.

How did High Point beat Wisconsin in the 2026 NCAA Tournament?

High Point defeated No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 on March 19, 2026, at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Rob Martin led the Panthers with 23 points and 10 assists. Chase Johnston scored the go-ahead layup with 11.5 seconds left. Wisconsin's Nick Boyd was blocked at the rim by Owen Aquino, and a missed free throw and intercepted heave sealed the win for High Point.

What seed was High Point in the 2026 NCAA Tournament?

High Point entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed and defeated No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82 in the first round. It is the program's first tournament win and just their second tournament appearance overall.

Is Chase Johnston comparable to Jack Gohlke?

Both players are extreme three-point specialists who made national headlines during the NCAA Tournament. Gohlke became famous during the 2024 tournament for his volume three-point shooting for Oakland. Johnston's profile is similar — he shoots almost exclusively from three — but his defining moment came from a layup, which adds an extra layer of irony and makes his story arguably even more memorable.

Conclusion

The 2026 NCAA Tournament had its first signature moment, and it came wrapped in one of the most improbable storylines March Madness has ever produced. Chase Johnston — a sixth-year senior, three-time transfer, elite three-point shooter who had not made a single two-point basket all year — drove to the rim and laid the ball in to stun Wisconsin and send High Point to the next round. Rob Martin's brilliance, Owen Aquino's clutch block, and Flynn Clayman's coaching all played their part. But in the end, this is Johnston's moment. It always will be. That is what March Madness does — it creates stories that last forever, and Chase Johnston just wrote one of the best ones in recent memory.