Dangerous 12-seed features 6th-year senior that could be 2026's March Madness hero

There’s been major pre-tournament hype surrounding High Point guard Chase Johnston, and his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. It comes with plenty of comparisons to a former March Madness hero and fellow sniper, Oakland's Jack Gohlke.

Johnston, like Gohlke, has lived from three-point range throughout his collegiate career. He has just four two-point attempts this season, where he is 0-4. From long range, though, he’s shooting 48.5%, which is the seventh-highest in the country.

Looking ahead to No. 12 seed High Point’s first round matchup against No. 5 Wisconsin, this could be Johnston’s road to becoming a household name and a potential upset, all things considered.

The Badgers are allowing opponents to shoot at-will from deep with 24.4 three-point attempts per game, with 8.1 of them being successful. Both of which rank in the bottom half of the country. They’re also coming off a three-game stretch in the Big Ten tournament, where they allowed 24 made three-pointers to fit that narrative.

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Johnston himself shot 6 of 10 during High Point’s run to the Big South Championship and will look to continue adding to an already impressive team offense that is the third-highest scoring (90 ppg) in the country.

The Panthers and Badgers will battle in Portland as part of the NCAA Tournament's West Region on Thursday (1:50 p.m. ET, TBS).  

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