High Point coach Flynn Clayman blasted some of college basketball’s biggest men’s programs for dodging his team after they recorded the biggest upset of March Madness so far.
The 12th seed Panthers booked their spot in the last-32 with an unlikely 83-82 win over Wisconsin, who were seeded fifth, on Thursday.
High Point came into the NCAA tournament as huge underdogs and Clayman claimed they would have been ranked much higher if some college basketball powerhouses dared to face them earlier in the season.
Staring directly into the eyes of the interviewer, he said after the game: ‘It looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors early in the season.
‘Because they said we didn’t play nobody. We played somebody now.
‘I know how good of a team we are. But nobody would play us, just like they wouldn’t play Miami (Ohio). But they gotta play us in this tournament.’
High Point coach Flynn Clayman blasted some of college basketball’s biggest men’s programs
The intensity of his interview after their win over Wisconsin quickly went viral on social media
High Point’s Chase Johnston (right) made his first two-point basket of the year to seal victory
The interview quickly went viral on social media and viewers were left in awe of Clayman’s passion and intensity.
Even NBA legend Charles Barkley commented: ‘I want to see them advance just to see him in the press conference.’
One fan wrote: ‘Flynn Clayman ignoring every question to call high majors cowards for not playing mid-majors absolutely rocks.’
Another commented: ‘Hell yeah. I hope he never lets his foot up off the gas either.’
A third replied: ‘Love his attitude’.
Another said: ‘Fire me up coach’.
‘GO OFF KING,’ another declared with one fan adding ‘Talk that talk!’
NBA icon Charles Barkley said he wants High Point to win to see Clayman’s press conferences
In remarkable scenes towards the end of the game, High Point’s Chase Johnston made his first two-point basket of the season with 11.7 seconds remaining to secure the win.
Johnston finished with 14 points, including four three-pointers for the Panthers, who were 10.5-point underdogs going into the game.
Rob Martin had 23 points and 10 assists for the Panthers, who will face No. 4 seed Arkansas in the second round of the West Region on Saturday.
Nick Boyd finished with 27 points and John Blackwell added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Badgers, who have lost to a lower-seeded team in each of their last four NCAA Tournament appearances.
They fell to No. 11 seed Iowa State in 2022 and No. 12 seed James Madison in 2024 and lost in the second round last year as a 3 seed to sixth-seeded BYU.
This latest upset was responsible for ending the hopes of the vast majority of entrants who tried to complete a perfect 2026 bracket.
