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HIGH POINT, N.C., March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — High Point University surprised a local family made up of HPU superfans with an all-expenses-paid trip to watch the Panthers play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Portland, Oregon.
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Jimmy Ford, wife Alexis Ford and three of their children were escorted onto the basketball court inside the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center during HPU’s special NCAA Tournament watch party on March 15. They were surprised to learn only a few minutes before the start of CBS’s Selection Show that HPU is sending them to the NCAA Tournament at no charge.
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As part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the family of five will receive free airfare, hotel accommodations, food, ground transportation and more from HPU to attend the Panthers’ first-round game in the NCAA Tournament. As a No. 12 seed, HPU will face Wisconsin at 1:50 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, in Portland. TBS will broadcast the game.
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“This was the biggest surprise of my life. It was something my family and I will never forget,” Alexis Ford said. “Thank you to HPU for being a beacon of light for our family and making us feel so loved. This team means the world to us. We are so impressed with not only their talent but how they play with a servant’s heart. Showing up and cheering for them every home game brightened our weeks, gave our children positive roles models to look up to and strengthened our faith. God led us here. He blessed us 10 times over what I could have ever imagined. We came for the basketball but left with so much more. The gift that has been given to us is priceless. I am so proud to be a forever Panther family.”
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The HPU men’s and women’s basketball teams earned automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year after they won the Big South Conference championship in Johnson City, Tennessee, on March 8.
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Jimmy and Alexis Ford were born and raised in the city of High Point, and they got married after meeting in high school. They then decided to raise their children in High Point. As diehard Panthers fans, the family attended every HPU home men’s basketball game this season thanks to HPU’s free community ticket giveaway.
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During the regular season, approximately 15,000 community members attended HPU home men’s and women’s basketball games at no charge using free tickets that the university provides to the public. Fans also received free food at three men’s home games this season, making it possible for families to enjoy a free night at a college basketball game.
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“We are High Point’s University, and making free tickets and even dinner available to members of the community is one of the many ways HPU works to enhance our community,” HPU President Nido Qubein said. “We are blessed to be able to help families enjoy a wonderful night out for free.”
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The Ford family was selected to win the free trip to the NCAA Tournament from a pool of community superfans who attended HPU games this season through the free ticket program.
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“It means the world to us because High Point has been our home, but also this community is like a family,” Alexis Ford said. “We came here a couple of seasons ago. It became like our home away from home or our beacon of light. It’s just been really emotional and wonderful to share with our family.”
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English (US)