The five-seed Wisconsin Badgers‘ matchup with the 12-seed High Point Panthers was immediately met with disappointment among Badgers fans. The 5-12 matchup has always been cursed for 5-seeds in the NCAA tournament, and Wisconsin has been bitten by some 12-seeds in some previous matchups.
However, the Badgers have been successful in the West Region, reaching three Final Fours this century when seeded out West. Wisconsin has another chance to add to that West Region magic. Turning our attention to this year’s NCAA Tournament, it’s time to take a deep dive into the Big South Conference regular-season and tournament champions.
What should Badger fans know about the High Point Panthers?
The Panthers are led by first-year head coach Flynn Clayman, who took over for Creighton’s head coach-in-waiting Alan Huss after last season. Clayman’s first season at High Point has been a resounding success, as the Panthers enter their second-straight NCAA tournament with a 30-4 record and are on a 14-game winning streak. Just one reason for concern, the Panthers are on a heater right now.
The big reason for their success is a scoring offense ranked third in the nation as of March 14th, averaging 90.0 PPG. Chalk that up for another concern. The High Point offense is among the top 100 offenses in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency, coming in at 66th. In addition, the Panthers are a team that will go up and down the court fast, as they are 49th in KenPom’s adjusted tempo.
Last Sunday, the Panthers clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament with a 91-76 win over Winthrop in the Big South Conference tournament championship. Five-foot-ten point guard Rob Martin led the way with 24 points on 6-of-19 shots from the floor.
Martin and forward Terry Anderson are the 1-2 punch for the Panthers. Anderson, a six-foot-six senior, leads High Point with 16 points per game and six rebounds per game. In the Panthers’ 75-71 semifinal win over UNC- Asheville, Anderson led the way with 25 points on 9-of-16 shots.
High Point’s other starters include guard Scotty Washington, who averages 8.7 points per game, and two forwards, Liberty transfer Owen Aquiino and Braden Hausen. Aquino, a 6-foot-8 forward from Spain, is the Panthers’ leading shot blocker at 1.7 blocks per game.