In a primetime matchup that only March Madness could produce, John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday are set to face the High Point Panthers—a basketball program that just won its first men’s NCAA tournament game representing a unique university that is piquing the interest of sports fans nationwide.
No. 12 seed High Point, this year’s Big South Conference champion, upset No. 5 Wisconsin in the first round Thursday as a 10-point betting underdog.
While the game was in Portland, the Panthers had some noticeable support. The university chartered a plane for more than 200 students to fly to the matchup at the Moda Center, which is more than 2,500 miles away from High Point’s campus just outside Greensboro, N.C.
The private school, which dubs itself “the premier life skills university,” has an enrollment of about 6,500. Tuition, housing, and food costs for the 2026–27 school year are projected to cost more than $70,000. (High Point says its average aid package is about $23,000, which reduces total costs.)
Campus life at High Point is quite different from most colleges. Two fine dining options—the 1924 Prime steakhouse and Mediterranean-inspired Alo—are available free to students once a week via their meal plans. High Point calls them “learning labs” that enable students to “develop life skills including business and social etiquette and an understanding of global cultures and cuisine.”
The campus also has a buildout of an airplane fuselage, which is designed to allow students to practice business pitches to strangers they may encounter while traveling.
High Point was founded by leaders of the United Methodist Church in 1924, and while the university says “faith remains a cornerstone of HPU’s values-based education,” it does not have any specific religious restrictions or requirements akin to notable religious-based schools like Liberty University or BYU.
On the Court
High Point has 17 varsity sports, primarily playing in the Big South; men’s lacrosse is in the Atlantic 10, and women’s rowing is in the Mid-American Conference.
The men’s basketball team played its first season in 1927, but it didn’t elevate to Division I until the 1998–99 season. The Panthers made their first March Madness appearance last year after winning their first Big South title; as a No. 13 seed, they lost to No. 4 Purdue in the first round.
High Point has a $170 million, 5,000-seat basketball arena, the Qubein Center (named after university president and influential businessman Nido Qubein), which opened in 2021. In September, the university announced it had received a record amount of major gifts recently totaling more than $195 million that would help support athletics, academics, and campus growth.
Notable alumni include veteran college basketball coach Tubby Smith, who coached six different programs (including High Point from 2018 to 2022); NASCAR driver Austin Dillon (although he is not a graduate); and country singer Donna Fargo.
The Panthers are yet again a double-digit betting underdog Saturday night, with Arkansas favored by 11.5 points at 9:45 p.m. ET tip on TBS or truTV.
High Point’s women’s basketball team is also looking for its first March Madness victory Saturday, playing as a No. 15 seed against No. 2 Vanderbilt.
