PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Chase Johnston had tried four 2-pointers all season before he took a long pass from teammate Rob Martin, with a clear path to the rim in the closing seconds of High Point's March Madness opener.
Given that history, the long-range specialist had no thoughts of trying anything flashy.
Johnston converted an easy layup for his first 2-point basket of the season, giving High Point the lead with 11.7 seconds remaining, and the 12th-seeded
Panthers held on from there to beat No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82 on Thursday for the first major upset of the NCAA Tournament.
“I was just trying to finish it, honestly. To be down one, get the ball thrown up to me, I was just like, ‘Get this in the rim,’” Johnston said. “We can go shock the world if we do this.”
He came in shooting 64 of 132 (48.5%) from 3-point range but 0 of 4 inside the arc, and he had played more minutes (406) and scored more points (196) without making a 2-point shot than any player in the country.
“It’s such justice that he gets all this national attention for never making a 2-point shot all season,” High Point coach Flynn Clayman said. “Then the first one he makes is to get us to this win in the NCAA Tournament.”
Johnston finished with 14 points, including four 3-pointers for the Panthers (31-4). His last 3 was the 415th of his career, one more than Stephen Curry and good for 22nd in Division I history.
“We’ve seen Johnston make some circus ones today off one leg,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “It’s exactly what I saw on film. His ability to shoot the ball and get it off quick.”
High Point was a 10 1/2-point underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, and for most of Thursday's game, Johnston filled his usual role in the Panthers' offense — coming off the bench and hunting long-range shots that he converts with incredible efficiency. He went 4 of 6 beyond the arc, and his final 3 pulled High Point within 82-81 with 55 seconds to go.
He will inevitably shoot more 3s on Saturday, when High Point plays Arkansas with a chance to reach the Sweet 16.
Johnston had stints at Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast before arriving at High Point, private school of some 6,300 students in North Carolina, as a graduate transfer.
“He’s been an all-conference player two times already before he came here,” Clayman said. “He was two times all-conference in the ASUN. They played at USC when he was at Florida Gulf Coast, and he had 25 points and they won. He’s been doing this for a long time.”
At those prior stops, more than half of Johnston's attempts were 3s. Last season under Clayman's predecessor, Alan Huss, Johnston jacked up 167 3s and only 30 2s.
This year, he all but abandoned his inside-the-arc game. And it's hard to argue with the results.
“We asked him to be more efficient,” Clayman said.
Clayman said Johnston doesn't get enough credit for his defense or all-around skills. And Johnston is fine with being known primarily as a shooter — albeit a humble one.
“I wouldn’t say my model my game after any specific player. I watch a bunch of shooters like Duncan Robinson, Steph Curry, JJ Redick back when he was playing,” he said. “For the most part I just go in the gym, put up the work. I trust my work, I trust the Lord, and allow everything else to take care of itself after that.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
