High Point’s upset of Wisconsin ends the hope of a perfect March Madness bracket for millions

Associated Press (AP) Human InterestNews ReportEN 2 min read 100% complete by By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMarch 19, 2026 at 10:23 PM

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High Point's upset victory over Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Portland, Oregon, dashed the hopes of millions seeking a perfect March Madness bracket. The unexpected result eliminated the flawless brackets of over 25 million participants, including a significant portion on platforms like ESPN and Yahoo. While some brackets were also affected by TCU's win over Ohio State, and Nebraska's victory over Troy, High Point's win had the most widespread impact. The odds of achieving a perfect bracket are astronomically low, ranging from one in 120 billion to one in 9.2 quintillion, depending on the prediction method. The NCAA's own bracket challenge also saw a massive wipeout due to the High Point upset.

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Key Claims (5)

AI-Extracted

Nebraska picked up its first-ever March Madness victory by racing past Troy.

factual — null100% confidence

The NCAA estimates the chances of a perfect bracket range from one in 9.2 quintillion to one in 120 billion.

statistic — NCAA100% confidence

83% of the entries included a win by Wisconsin in the first round.

statistic — Yahoo100% confidence

Just under 900,000 blemish-free brackets remained after the opening wave of games.

statistic — ESPN100% confidence

High Point's upset of Wisconsin ended the hope of a perfect March Madness bracket for millions.

factual — null100% confidence

Claims are automatically extracted and should be independently verified. Attribution indicates the stated source of the claim.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Ohio State 30% Troy 30% Nebraska 30% Portland, Ore ×240% ESPN 40% TCU 40% Cam’ron Fletcher ×250% Chase Johnston ×260% March Madness ×270% NCAA ×370% Wisconsin ×480% High Point ×590%

Keywords

march madness 100% bracket 90% ncaa tournament 90% upset 80% wisconsin 70% high point 70% first round 60% odds 50% basketball 40%

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Neutral

Score: -0.10

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Associated Press (AP)

Article Type

News Report

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Portland, Ore

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