Wisconsin Badgers
High Point
Five Things to Know: Badgers tipoff NCAA Tournament First Round against High Point
March 16, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Gard to make eighth tournament appearance in last 10 years
MADISON, Wis. — The fifth-seeded Wisconsin men’s basketball team will tip off the first round of the West Region in the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 19, against 12-seeded High Point. Tipoff at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, is set for 12:50 p.m. CT.
Fans can watch from home on TBS as Brad Nessler, Wally Szczerbiak and Jared Greenberg have the call, or tune into Matt Lepay and Brian Butch on the Badger Sports Network.
Ticket information is available on the Tournament Central page. UW will host open practices, and fan events in Portland, as well.
Here are five more things to know:
BACK IN THE BIG DANCE
The Badgers are back in the Big Dance for the 28th time in program history. UW is one-of-five schools to play in 25 of the last 27 NCAA Tournaments, alongside Gonzaga, Michigan State, Duke and Kansas. Head coach Greg Gard has guided Wisconsin to its eighth appearance in the last 10 tournaments, which tied for the third-most of any program during that time. UW will play in Portland for the first time in its NCAA Tournament history. The Badgers have history in the West Regional, making their seventh appearance, having advanced to the 2000, 2014 and 2015 Final Fours from that region. Wisconsin is a five-seed for the 11th time in its last 14 appearances dating back to 2010. Overall, UW is 41-27 (.603) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, reaching 10 Sweet 16s, four Final Fours and winning the 1941 National Championship.
SCOUTING HIGH POINT
Wisconsin will take on No. 12 High Point (30-4, 15-1), the Big South Conference Tournament Champions. The two programs have never met, though the Badgers are 6-0 all-time against Big South Teams. The lone NCAA Tournament matchup in the Big South saw No. 1 UW beat No. 16 Coastal Carolina, 86-72, in the 2015 First Round. The Badgers would advance to the National Championship that season.
FAN EVENTS
On Wednesday, March 18, the Badgers will hold an open practice at the Moda Center in Portland from 11:45 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. PT. Later that evening, join UW for a “Badgers in PDX” event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT at the Spirit of 77 (500 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232).
On Thursday, UW will host a sendoff at the Hyatt Regency (375 NE Holladay St, Portland, OR 97232) from 9 - 9:15 a.m PT, and a pep rally at the Spirit of 77 at 9 a.m. PT on Thursday. No reservation at the Spirit of 77 is required, but fans are encouraged to arrive early to secure a spot. FREE “March On, Wisconsin!” t-shirts and additional select giveaways will be available while supplies last. Fans will also enjoy performances from the UW Band and Spirit Squad making it a don't miss celebration for Badger fans!
BRINGING IT AT BIG TENS
The Badgers are coming off a 2-1 performance at the Big Ten Championships, beating Washington and Illinois, before falling to Michigan in the Big Ten Semifinals on Saturday. UW held off Washington, 85-82, last Thursday on the back of John Blackwell’s 34 points, and Nick Boyd’s 23. The duo followed it up with 69-combined points in a 91-88 overtime win over Illinois on Friday. Blackwell (31 points) and Boyd (38) were the first Badger tandem to each drop 30 points since 1968 lifting UW to the 15-point comeback. Nationally, it was the first time that two players achieved that feat in postseason play since at least 2004-05. Boyd and Blackwell were named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team for their efforts.
Saturday’s semifinal was another instant-classic as top-seeded Michigan hit a last-second three-pointer to win on the game’s final possession. UW once again fought through adversity, launching a double-digit comeback with under eight minutes. Austin Rapp sparked a solo 15-2 run with four minutes to play, and led with a game-high 18 points.
Wisconsin made it to the semifinals for the third-consecutive season, and 15-time in program history. Blackwell broke the program record with 144 career points in the Big Ten Tournament, while improving to 8-3 in the event. He owns the most wins by a Badger, and broke the record for most games played with 11.
LETTING IT FLY
After going 16-of-38 from the arc against Michigan, the Badgers shattered the Big Ten’s single-season three-point record - and the program’s record - with 400 triples this year. UW is 21-3 when they hit 10-plus threes in a game, owning the most games with double-digit triples in the Big Ten, and third-most nationally. While Boyd and Blackwell have been consistent on the perimeter, it’s the stretch bigs that give UW its shooting advantage. At least one of the Badger big man trio of Rapp, Aleksas Bieliauskas and Nolan Winter have sunk three-plus threes in a game 18 times this season. That is the most three-plus triples games for 6-foot-10 players, or taller, of any team in the country.
From an individual standpoint, Braeden Carrington broke the program record for three-pointers in a game, draining nine against Washington back on on Feb. 28.
