High Point coach calls out high-majors after upset: 'We played somebody now'

High Point head coach Flynn Clayman took a shot at high-major programs for refusing to schedule games against mid-majors after the Panthers upset Wisconsin on Thursday, earning the program's first-ever March Madness win.

"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," Clayman said on the court after the victory.

He added, "(The win) feels unreal, cause I know how good of a team we had. But nobody would play us, just like they wouldn't play Miami (OH). But they got to play us in this tournament."

High Point trailed by as much as 10 points in the contest before rallying in the second half. Senior guard Rob Martin led the Panthers with 23 points, while Chase Johnston nailed four 3-pointers, including one from the logo with under five minutes left to cut Wisconsin's lead to five.

Clayman's comments come after weeks of discourse surrounding Miami's undefeated regular season in the MAC. The RedHawks finished with a 261st-ranked strength of schedule, according to KenPom, and were relegated to playing in the First Four despite their only loss coming in the conference tournament.

Miami head coach Travis Steele, who led his team to a blowout victory over SMU on Wednesday in the First Four, said earlier in March that high-major programs refused to schedule the RedHawks due to the potential for an upset, according to ESPN's Myron Medcalf.

"It's pretty obvious to me that something needs to be done about this non-conference scheduling," Clayman added after Thursday's game. "High Point and Miami are 2-0 in Quad 1 games. ... We won 22 of our last 23 games, and we didn't move up one spot in the metrics."

High Point will face Arkansas in the round of 32 on Saturday.