Bracket chaos — High Point shocks
High Point stunned #5 Wisconsin 83–82 and VCU toppled North Carolina in overtime — two of the headline upsets that shredded Day 1 brackets ( ). Nearly 36 million brackets were busted on Day 1, leaving roughly 14,000 perfect brackets still alive after the opening slate (foxnews.com).
Chase Johnston’s fast-break layup with 11.7 seconds left was the only 2-point field goal he made all season and gave him a 14-point bench finish in Portland. (dailyjournal.net) High Point hit 15 three-pointers in the game, and senior Rob Martin paced the Panthers with 23 points as the team closed out the comeback. (sports-reference.com) Thursday’s victory was High Point’s first NCAA Tournament win in program history and it represented the Panthers’ first-ever triumph over a Power Four opponent. (highpointpanthers.com) VCU sophomore Terrence Hill Jr. erupted for a career-high 34 points, burying a stepback 3 with 15 seconds remaining in overtime and finishing 7-for-10 from long range. (vcuathletics.com) The Rams erased a 19-point second-half deficit — the largest first-round comeback on record — and are scheduled to face No. 3 Illinois in the Round of 32 on Saturday in Greenville. (vcuathletics.com) Those early upsets helped snap roughly 36 million submitted brackets and left about 14,000 still perfect after Day 1 — roughly 0.039% of entries, per tournament trackers. (msn.com)
