High Point University Sends Both Basketball Teams to March Madness Again

For the second consecutive year, High Point University's men's and women's basketball teams have punched their tickets to the NCAA Tournament, and the campus reaction has been louder than last time.

Both Panther programs secured bids to March Madness, making HPU one of the rare mid-major programs to send both its men's and women's teams to the tournament in back-to-back years. Students, performers, and campus broadcasters gathered to mark the moment, with many saying the excitement feels even bigger now that a repeat appearance has validated what last year started.

For senior Kendall McDowell, the news carried a weight that went beyond school pride. The dance team member was sidelined with an injury last season and never got to be on the court during the Panthers' tournament run. This year, she will be there in person.

"It is so exciting," McDowell said. "To go to March Madness — I remember being a young girl watching with my family — but now being on the team, not just our men's, but both our women's, both teams to go and celebrate, to show them who we are. We are Panthers, we are proud, we are strong."

McDowell called the March Madness appearance the "cherry on top" of her college experience, capping a senior year with the moment she missed twelve months ago.

The tournament return also carries personal stakes for student broadcasters Griffin Wright and Jimmy Roselli. The pair became widely known last year for their energetic radio calls during High Point's tournament run and are now preparing to cover the Panthers again. For Wright and Roselli, it is not simply a repeat assignment; it is a chance to build on a platform they built from scratch during a historic run.

Another student, identified only as Pugh, captured the mood on campus with a straightforward account of what it felt like to watch his school earn a bid for the second straight year.

"It was incredible," Pugh said. "I was like, wow, my school gets to be a part of March Madness, something that I grew up watching."

He added that he hopes the tournament run continues to do what last year's did for the High Point community. "My hope is that it continues to bring people together here on campus," Pugh said. "That the energy is just high as it already is and that we just continue to deliver as we have."

Bracket assignments, opponents, seedings, and game dates for both the men's and women's programs had not been confirmed in initial reports. High Point University Athletics had not yet released official statements from either head coach.