Flynn Clayman has led what is thus far the biggest upset of March Madness on Thursday, March 19, leading No. 12 seed High Point to an 83-82 victory over No. 5 seed Wisconsin.
Mere moments after securing the biggest win of his young coaching career, Clayman let his feelings be known on the sentiment mid-majors “don’t play anybody.”
Advertisement
Toppmeyer: Miami (Ohio) shows it belongs in March Madness. Pipe down, Bruce Pearl
In a postgame interview with TBS’ Jared Greenberg, Clayman gave a fiery interview, saying, “We played somebody now.”
“It looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors during the season,” Clayman said. “Because they said we ain’t played nobody? We played somebody now.”
Asked how the win feels, Clayman continued, “It feels unreal, because nobody would play us, just like they wouldn’t play Miami (Ohio). But they got to play us in this tournament.”
REQUIRED READING: Miami (Ohio) shows it belongs in March Madness. Pipe down, Bruce Pearl
Advertisement
Speaking in his postgame news conference, Clayman continued by saying his team deserved the opportunity to be at March Madness — and that they weren’t just happy to be here, either.
“High Point and Miami (Ohio) are 2-1 in Quad 1 games. We couldn’t get games. They couldn’t get games,” Clayman said. “Akron, UNC Wilmington, Belmont couldn’t get games. We won 22 of our last 23 games and we didn’t move up one spot in the metrics. Not one. We won 22 of our 23. We’ve won 25 games by double-digits.
“That team (Wisconsin) right there is a fantastic team that beat five top-10 teams. If we can get games like this on neutral courts and some home games, I think we’d know who’s really the best teams. I’m proud of these dudes. We’re not just here to win one game; we’re here to get to the Sweet 16.”
1 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
1 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
2 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
Nebraska Cornhuskers fans cheer after defeating the Troy Trojans during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
3 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
The Ohio State Buckeyes cheerleaders perform in the second half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
4 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
A view of Buddy the Street Dog as Queens University of Charlotte Royals guard Yoav Berman talks to the media during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on March 19, 2026.
5 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
The High Point Panthers band performs prior to a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
6 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
High Point Panthers fans cheer prior to a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
7 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
The Wisconsin Badgers cheerleaders preform during the first half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
8 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
The South Florida Bulls mascot performs during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, NY.
9 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleaders perform in the first half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
10 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
The Troy Trojans mascot dances on the floor during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
11 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
The UCF Knights band performs during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 19, 2026 in Philadelphia.
12 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
Nebraska Cornhuskers cheerleaders perform during the second half against the Troy Trojans during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
13 / 13
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
A Wisconsin Badgers cheerleader performs during the first half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
Clayman’s comments come after Miami (Ohio)’s metrics were questioned ahead of Selection Sunday, with former Auburn coach-turned-basketball analyst Bruce Pearl publicly stumping for the Tigers over the RedHawks. Pearl pointed to the RedHawks’ poor strength of schedule and early exit in the MAC Tournament as reasons why other teams were more deserving.
Advertisement
As it stands now, High Point and Miami (Ohio) are a combined 2-0 in the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament and are slated to play No. 4 seed Arkansas and No. 6 seed Tennessee, respectively.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: High Point coach Flynn Clayman viral postgame interview after Wisconsin upset
