High Point coach Flynn Clayman goes off after upset of Wisconsin: ‘We played somebody now’
Flynn Clayman was given a national television stage to make a point in the immediate aftermath of High Point’s upset of Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers’ head coach did not pass it up.
Doubt his team’s merit, doubt any mid-major’s merit, including Miami (Ohio), at your own peril.
Directly after his 12th-seeded squad upset the No. 5 seed Badgers, 83-82, Thursday afternoon in Portland, Ore., Clayman unleashed a postgame diatribe aimed at those who questioned his team’s place in the tournament due to a perceived weak schedule. High Point, which went 30-4 during the regular season but played the third-weakest schedule in the country according to the NCAA’s NET rankings, has not played a high-major in the regular season since Dec. 16, 2023, at Georgia.
“Looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors early in the season,” Clayman said. “Because they said we didn’t play nobody. We played somebody now.”
Clayman’s statement built on those of Miami (Ohio) coach Travis Steele, who earlier in the season said that he tried to schedule high-major programs in nonconference play to build up the RedHawks’ resume. His RedHawks were the only Division I program to go undefeated in the regular season, posting a 31-0 record, but lost to UMass in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament and had to sweat out Selection Sunday for a berth in the First Four.
Much was made about Miami’s schedule, ranked 339th out of 365 teams in the NCAA’s NET rankings entering Selection Sunday, and how it should limit the RedHawks’ at-large prospects compared to major conference bubble teams like Auburn. The Tigers went 17-16 with the third-toughest schedule in the country.
“Listen, we’ve got a really good team,” Steele said in late January. “Don’t penalize us for people (who) aren’t willing to play us.”
The RedHawks finally got their high-major opportunity in the First Four in Dayton, and they made a statement with an 89-79 win over SMU out of the ACC.
To Clayman, the Redhawks ‘ plight was part of a greater issue in college basketball.
“It’s pretty obvious to me that something needs to be done about this non-conference scheduling,” Clayman said. “High Point and Miami (Ohio) are 2-0 in quad one games. We couldn’t get games. They couldn’t get games.”
“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.”
-High Point HC Flynn Clayman pic.twitter.com/IpObzgJSGm
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 19, 2026
It was High Point’s turn to make a statement Thursday, as the program claimed its first win over a Power 5 team. And Clayman served up the Panthers’ win over Wisconsin out of the Big Ten as proof that mid-majors should get more opportunities against high-major opponents — before they have to face them in March.
“Nobody would play us,” Clayman said. “Just like they wouldn’t play Miami (Ohio). But they have to play us in this tournament.”
Wisconsin had to learn the hard way that the Panthers, and their fired-up head coach, weren’t about to roll over on the big stage.
“(Wisconsin) is a fantastic team that beat five top-10 teams,” Clayman said. “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. And we’re not just here to win one game. We’re here to get to the Sweet 16.”
