How to watch, stream & listen to Wisconsin Badgers basketball vs. High Point Panthers in the NCAA Tournament

Making its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and one of just five schools to appear in 25 of the last 27 NCAA tournaments, Wisconsin was given a five seed in the West Region and will begin play today against 12th seed High Point at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

The bid marks the eighth NCAA Tournament appearance for Wisconsin (24-10) under head coach Greg Gard and a top-five seed for the 11th time in the last 14 appearances dating back to 2010. The Badgers are 41-27 (.603) all-time in the NCAA tournament, reaching 10 Sweet 16s, four Final Fours, and winning the 1941 National Championship.

"We're excited to be back in this again," Gard said. "It's been pretty commonplace in Madison for us to be in this tournament. My group this year has done a terrific job from really January on of growing and improving and continuing to get better to have an opportunity to play this week."

The story of how an Uber and an open gym forged a solid, lifelong bond between Wisconsin senior point guard Nick Boyd and #Badgers Director of Recruiting Isaac Wodajohttps://t.co/n3XbqUMatw
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) March 18, 2026

High Point (30-4) is in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year as the Big South regular season and tournament champions. The Panthers have the longest active win streak in the country (14 games) and the nation's third-highest-scoring offense at 90.0 ppg. Twenty-four of the Panthers' 30 wins have been by double-digits - 15 by 20+ points and three Division I outcomes by 40-or-more.

The Panthers can also play some defense. High Point's ability to apply pressure has them ranked second nationally in turnover margin (+7.1), third in forced turnovers (16.41), and scoring 21.2 points off turnovers per contest. Wisconsin ranks ninth nationally with 8.9 turnovers per game.

"We wanted guys who didn't turn it over," High Point coach Flynn Clayman said. "We wanted guys who are pesty defenders that could bother people. We felt like in our case of having to win a conference tournament to get here, the turnover battle is huge in those tournaments.

"We've won 25 games in double-digits. You cannot do that unless you're not turning it over and you're turning the other team over."

Wisconsin and High Point will be meeting for the first time in program history. The Badgers haven't played a team from the Big South Conference since beating former member Coastal Carolina, 86-72, in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

The University of Wisconsin is about to see the mirrored version of itself at the mid-major level. Some things to know about High Point - the #Badgers NCAA Tournament opponent. https://t.co/mXaDglGSJj
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) March 15, 2026

How can I watch Wisconsin vs. High Point?

Date: Thursday, March 19
Start time: 12:40 p.m. central
TV channel: TBS (Brad Nessler, Wally Szczerbiak and Jared Greenberg)

To stream the 2026 Men's March Madness tournament, use HBO Max (for TBS, TNT, truTV games) or Paramount+ (for CBS games). For a comprehensive, cable-free experience, use live TV services like DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, or YouTube TV. The March Madness Live app also offers streaming by linking your TV provider.

How can I listen to Badgers vs. the Panthers?

The Badger Radio Network includes numerous stations across Wisconsin, with key stations being WIBA-AM 1310 in Madison and 95.7 BIG FM in Milwaukee. Other affiliates broadcasting Badger sports include WDUZ-AM/FM in Green Bay, WXCE-AM in Amery, and WBEV-FM in Beaver Dam.

The game can be heard on Westwood One on Sirius XM Channel 204, with Ryan Ratdke (play-by-play) and Austin Croshere (analyst) on the call.

Wisconsin fans can listen to team coverage online on The Varsity Network. Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Matt Lepay (play-by-play) and former Wisconsin all-conference center Brian Butch (analyst) will call the game.

What are the recreational betting odds?

Odds according to BetMGM as of March 19

Odds: Wisconsin by 10.5
Over/under: 162.5
Moneyline: Wisconsin (-475), High Point (+360)
Wisconsin's record against the spread: 20-14
Wisconsin's ATS record after a loss: 7-2
Wisconsin's ATS record in nonconference games: 5-6
Wisconsin's ATS record in neutral sites: 3-4

Series info on this afternoon's opponent

All-time, regular season: 0-0
All-time, postseason: 0-0