Sports
Wisconsin wary of high-scoring High Point in classic 5-12 matchup
Wisconsin and 12th-seeded High Point are capable of producing one of the highest-scoring games in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round when the Badgers navigate the ever-risky 5-12 matchup in West Region action in Portland.
High Point (30-4), the Big South’s regular-season and tournament champion, averages 90.0 points per game. That’s third in the Division I ranks. The Panthers’ 14-game winning streak is the nation’s longest active run entering the NCAA Tournament.
Wisconsin (24-10) can score, too. The Badgers average 83.0 points per game, which shares 35th in the nation and ranks as the school’s highest-scoring squad since 1970-71.
Speaking of history: In three of the last four NCAA Tournaments, two No. 5 seeds have lost in the first round. But Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has a simple theory about seeds: Forget about them.
“Erase the numbers, that’s what I always say,” Gard said. “I don’t care. When we were a 1, when we were a 2, it wasn’t any less nervous knowing that these teams that are in this are very good.”
Wisconsin has five first-round losses to a No. 12 seed, most recently to James Madison in 2024, 72-61. Each of the past three trips into the NCAA Tournament when the Badgers were the No. 5 seed, they were one-and-done.
For Gard, the life raft to the second round will be his guards. Always considered essential in the NCAA Tournament, that’s a strength for both teams.
Badgers senior guard Nick Boyd, a second-team all-Big Ten pick averages 20.6 points and 4.2 assists. Junior John Blackwell, a third-team selection, averages 19.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Both put up superhuman efforts to win Big Ten games last week. When Wisconsin upset Illinois in the quarterfinals on Friday, Boyd dropped a career-high 38 and Blackwell scored 31 to become the school’s first 30-point duo since 1968.
Moreover, Boyd adds valuable NCAA Tournament experience. He started 37 games and averaged 8.9 points for Florida Atlantic in 2022-23, when the Owls reached the Final Four.
“In terms of scoring, in terms of all the rule changes, guard play has become more accentuated,” Gard said. “The pace of play universally is up. I think obviously we have really good ones.”
Wisconsin could welcome back forward Nolan Winter (13.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg) and sophomore guard Jack Janicki available after injuries kept them on the sideline during the Big Ten tournament.
Panthers guard Rob Martin averages 15.3 points and 3.7 assists as High Point also has a pair of mobile wings — Terry Anderson (16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds) and Cam’Ron Fletcher (12.7 points, 6.9 rebounds) — atop its eight-man rotation. Fletcher is a former Top 75 recruit who began his career six years ago at Kentucky.
Wisconsin has made 400 3-pointers this season, trailing only Alabama (405), and average 11.8 per game to rank fourth in Division I. Six players average at least one make per game. Blackwell (2.8) and reserve guard Braeden Carrington (2.1) lead the barrage, but Wisconsin fires relentlessly and from every direction. Reserve forward Austin Rapp drilled six threes in a 68-65 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament semifinals — including five on consecutive second-half possessions down the stretch.
The Badgers seemed to coalesce after a 91-88 victory over then-undefeated Michigan in Ann Arbor on Jan. 10, when Blackwell and Boyd combined for 49 points.
They are 14-5 since scoring signature wins over South No. 3 seed Illinois and knocking off West No. 2 seed Purdue and East No. 3 seed Michigan State.
“We’ve been on an ascension from mid-January,” Gard said. “How they’ve bonded, how their toughness has grown, how their connectivity has grown.”
The Panthers also took off in mid-January. They have not lost since a 92-75 loss to Winthrop on Jan. 14, and they avenged that with a 91-76 victory in the Big South tournament final over second-seeded Winthrop.
“The ’12’ matchup does upset people a lot, and we know that happens historically in the tournament,” said Flynn Crayman, High Point’s 37-year-old, first-year coach. “We’ve had 34 games straight of being the favorite, and now I think our group is ready to go out and shoot our shot.”
No. 12 seeds Colorado State and McNeese won their first-round games in 2025. Since 1985, No. 12 seeds have won 35.6 percent of the time against No. 5 seeds according to the NCAA Tournament media guide.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Virginia opens vs. Wright State as Ryan Odom's arc comes full circle
Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom instructs his team against the Duke Blue Devils during the men’s ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — Eight years ago, Ryan Odom became the first coach to guide a No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament.
On the wrong side of history that night was a stunned Virginia. Now Odom’s story has come full circle as the former UMBC coach not only has gotten the Cavaliers back to the dance in Year 1, but brought them within a few points of an ACC tournament title to boot.
This time around, Odom’s team is the hunted, not the hunters, as the No. 3 seed Cavaliers open Midwest Region play against No. 14 Wright State on Friday afternoon.
Virginia (29-5) bounced back from its embarrassment against UMBC by winning the national title one year later. The program has not won an NCAA Tournament game since then, dropping first-round upsets to Ohio and Furman in 2021 and 2023 before being drubbed in the 2024 First Four by Colorado State.
That was all before Tony Bennett’s abrupt retirement prior to the 2024-25 season. In its first year under Odom, who broadened his resume by leading Utah State and VCU to the NCAA Tournament, Virginia engineered a 14-win improvement from its lone campaign under interim coach Ron Sanchez.
“It’s tremendous. You have to have that trust between coaches and players. My best teams, we’ve had that,” Odom told WDBJ this week.
The Cavaliers play a slightly faster pace than they did under Bennett, while still maintaining top-30 adjusted offensive and defensive ratings according to KenPom.com. Perhaps the biggest change from their old style is their increased willingness to shoot 3-pointers: 46.5% of their field-goal attempts are from beyond the arc as eight players have made at least 20 triples this season.
Malik Thomas had 18 points and Sam Lewis added 17 when Virginia fell 74-70 to Duke, the No. 1 team in the country, in the ACC championship game Saturday. Thomas and sixth man Jacari White share the team lead with 61 3-pointers, while Thijs De Ridder paces Virginia with 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Wright State (23-11) could be a tricky first-round opponent as previous Horizon League champions have been. Oakland took down third-seeded Kentucky two years ago, then 15th-seeded Robert Morris gave Alabama a challenge in the Tide’s 90-81 win last year.
“We know we’re playing a really good team,” Odom said. “You get to this time of year, you’re going to play a team that’s won a lot of games and believes in itself.”
Horizon head coaches didn’t initially believe in Wright State. They picked the Raiders seventh in the 11-team league’s preseason poll. However, they’ve won seven of their last eight games as they claimed the regular-season title and then beat Northern Kentucky and Detroit Mercy in the conference tournament.
“To all our fans,” Raiders coach Clint Sargent said at the team’s selection party, “we’re young, and we’re just crazy enough to go win a couple games in Philly.”
It’s not unthinkable. Wright State ranks 55th in the country in 3-point percentage (36.1) and 88th in offensive rebounding percentage (33.2), two qualities that help teams pull off tournament upsets.
Seven players have led Wright State in scoring at least once this season. The Raiders’ top scorer is freshman Michael Cooper (13.4 ppg), while TJ Burch (12.3 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals), the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and tournament MVP, had 19 in the title game.
“It just keeps getting better and better,” Burch told the Dayton Daily News. “I’m excited. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re going to go up there and get a win.”
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
Sports
Howard hangs on for First Four win over UMBC, earns Michigan matchup
Mar 17, 2026; Dayton, OH, USA; Howard Bison guard Cam Gillus (2) dribbles defended by UMBC Retrievers guard Jah’likai King (4) in the second half during a first four game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images DAYTON, Ohio — Ose Okojie scored 16 of his team-leading 21 points in the first half and Bryce Harris added 19 points and 14 rebounds as Howard held off a furious rally by UMBC 86-83 on Tuesday in an NCAA Tournament First Four contest in Dayton, Ohio.
As the shot clock was expiring, Harris hit a clutch turnaround jumper with 12.7 seconds left to give Howard (24-10) a four-point lead. The Bison held on to advance as the No. 16 seed and oppose No. 1 seed Michigan in a Midwest Region first-round game Thursday in Buffalo.
The Bison, who qualified for the 68-team field by capturing the MEAC tournament title, extended their season-best win streak to nine games.
Jah’Likai King had 19 and DJ Armstrong Jr. added 17 for the Retrievers (24-9), who had their program-record 12-game win streak snapped. The Retrievers, tournament champions of America East, were making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since their historic 2018 upset of No. 1 seed Virginia.
Caden Diggs added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench for UMBC. Armstrong’s 30-foot 3-point attempt was off the mark to the right as time expired.
Howard led by double figures for most of the second half, but Diggs converted two free throws with 53.8 seconds left to draw UMBC within 83-78. After the Bison’s Cam Gillus came up short on the front end of a 1-and-1 with 52.9 seconds left, Armstrong drained a long 3-pointer with 43.4 seconds left to cap a 9-0 run, and UMBC was within 83-81.
After UMBC opened with the game’s first four points, Howard scored the next nine points to take an early lead. The Bison used an 8-0 surge to take a 19-11 advantage on a layup by Okojie.
Trailing 21-13, the Retrievers went on a 9-3 spurt to draw within 24-22 on a King layup. UMBC cut the gap to 31-30 before Howard answered with a 12-0 run that gave them their biggest first-half lead after a three-point play from Alex Cotton.
Cougar Downing’s layup with two seconds left in the half sent UMBC into halftime down 49-41.
–Mike Petraglia, Field Level Media
Sports
March Madness Cinderella Picks: Three Teams Ready to Bust Brackets
College basketball programs are handing out more money than ever to stack their rosters. Kentucky reportedly spent $22 million to keep four players from last year’s Sweet 16 squad and lure eight new ones.
Admittedly, the Wildcats aren’t a great example of maximizing your dollars considering they settled for a No. 7 seed in this NCAA Tournament, but many schools have learned how to marshal their ample resources to build the most efficient machines in college hoops history.
As recently as 2022, Gonzaga (+32.97) was the only school who entered the NCAA Tournament with a KenPom efficiency margin above the exalted plus-30 threshold. Only 15 teams exceeded the plus-20 mark.
As this year’s Tournament begins, we have eight schools higher than plus-30 (Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Florida, Houston, Iowa State, Illinois and Purdue) and 32 schools better than plus-20.
The rich are going to keep getting richer, smarter and stronger. Their coaches are de facto CEOs. Their conferences are transforming into oligarchies.
But they’re never going to find a way to stamp out Cinderellas.
Last year, we had Drake (No. 11 seed), McNeese (No. 12) and Colorado State (No. 12) ousting the big dogs in the first round.
In 2024, we enjoyed Duquesne (11), Grand Canyon (12), James Madison (12) and Yale (13).
In 2023, 15th-seeded Princeton barged into the Sweet 16 while Furman (13) and Fairleigh Dickinson (16) fostered more than their share of March Madness.
In 2022, 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s came up one win shy of the Final Four.
So which schools are going to smash their glass slipper over the head of a power conference school that looks too big and blustery to fail?
We’ve got three for you. For starters, keep in mind that in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments, two 12 seeds have upended No. 5 seeds in the first round.
This year? Those schools will be High Point, which battles Wisconsin on Thursday afternoon, and Akron, which faces Texas Tech on Friday afternoon.
This is no shade on the Badgers (though they have lost their last three first-round games as the 5 seed) or the Red Raiders. It’s just that High Point and Akron have the profiles to pull the upsets.
High Point, which boasts all the confidence in the world thanks to the nation’s longest active winning streak at 14 games, ranks third nationally in scoring at 90 points per game. The Panthers are decent from 3-point range (35.6%) and feature three good scorers led by senior wing Terry Anderson (16.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg), but their superpower is their turnover margin. Only McNeese, another 12 seed with a legit chance to win Thursday, enjoys a better turnover margin than High Point’s plus-7.1 per game.
As for Akron, this marks the Zips’ third straight trip to the NCAAs. They’re old. They’re athletic. They push the pace. Oh, and they feature SIX legit 3-point shooters ranging from Shammah Scott (42.2%) to stretch five Amani Lyles (37.9%). They’re not particularly big, but neither is Texas Tech with All-American JT Toppin out for the year.
So who’s the third team destined to be Cinderella?
No. 13 seed Hofstra should give No. 4 Alabama a fright, but the Crimson Tide will be on extra high-alert (no pun intended) after losing No. 2 scorer Aden Holloway (16.2 ppg) on Monday when arrested for possession of marijuana not for personal use — a felony.
It says here Furman, the 15 seed, will strike just like in 2023 even though the Paladins’ resume isn’t anything special. They finished fifth in the Southern Conference. They didn’t face any power conference teams, but they lost to NCAA Tournament entrants High Point, Troy and Northern Iowa by a combined 45 points. They only shoot 32.7% from 3-point range.
It’s all the perfect guise to lull UConn into complacency.
The Paladins have a star freshman point guard in Alex Wilkins (17.7 ppg, 4.7 apg), they have size and experience everywhere else and they get to face a UConn squad with two inexplicable losses in the last month (Creighton and Marquette) and two shellackings at St. John’s hands.
Don’t like this idea? Then how about No. 14 Wright State taking out Virginia? No. 13 Cal Baptist stunning Kansas in its first NCAA Tournament game? No. 13 Troy preventing Nebraska from collecting its first NCAA triumph?
Give us one Cinderella. Give us six Cinderellas. In this case, there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing.
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