PORTLAND, OR – The Wisconsin Badgers’ 2025-26 season has ended in heartbreaking fashion.
Fifth-seeded Wisconsin collapsed in the closing stretch against 12th-seeded High Point in a 83-82 upset loss in the first round of the men’s NCAA Tournament on March 19 at the Moda Center.
The Badgers had a double-digit lead in the first half and appeared to be pulling away on multiple occasions in the second half. But then High Point took its first lead since early in the second half on a fastbreak layup with 11.7 seconds remaining.
Nick Boyd had a chance at a winning layup, but his shot was blocked. The Badgers then had to foul. HPU’s Cam’Ron Fletcher missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but the Badgers’ last-ditch effort was foiled with 1.8 seconds remaining.
Rob Martin led High Point with 23 points on 9-of-23 shooting as the Panthers dashed the Badgers’ hopes of a deep tournament run. HPU had a 28-13 advantage in bench points, a 6-2 advantage in steals and a 5-4 advantage in blocks.
Boyd amassed a team-high 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting and six assists. Fellow Wisconsin guard John Blackwell had 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting along with 10 rebounds.
It was UW’s second loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons. (The other season ended with a second-round upset loss.) The Badgers have not advanced past the first weekend of the tournament since 2017.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin basketball falls to High Point in March Madness, another early NCAA exit
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
