High Point University is back in the NCAA Tournament, and this time, it arrives as one of college basketball’s most compelling stories.
High Point University Is Ready for the Big Dance
High Point University is located in High Point, North Carolina, in the heart of the Piedmont Triad, the state’s largest metropolitan area with more than 1.9 million people. Situated roughly 20 minutes from both Greensboro and Winston-Salem, and about 90 minutes from Charlotte, the campus spans 560 acres and is home to approximately 6,550 students.
The school was founded in 1924 as High Point College by the Methodist Protestant Church and was renamed High Point University in 1991 to reflect its expanded academic scope. It has since undergone a dramatic transformation under longtime president Nido Qubein, with more than $2 billion invested in campus facilities, academic programs, and student life since 2005.
The Panthers compete in the Big South Conference as a member of NCAA Division I athletics, a classification they have held since 1999. Their home court is the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center, a 4,500-seat arena that opened in September 2021 and serves as the centerpiece of the school’s modern athletic complex.
As for the basketball team, what the program has accomplished over the last three seasons ranks among the more remarkable turnarounds in recent college basketball history. Just three years ago, High Point was picked seventh in the preseason Big South poll and had not finished higher than fifth in the conference in years.
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Under head coach Alan Huss, the Panthers won the Big South regular-season title in 2023-24 and repeated in 2024-25, adding the conference tournament title and earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid.
That run ended with a first-round loss to No. 2 seed Purdue as a No. 15 seed, but the foundation was clearly in place.
Huss then left for Creighton, taking the associate head coaching position at his alma mater in April 2025. Flynn Clayman, Huss’s top assistant, stepped into the head coaching role for the first time in his career. What followed was the most remarkable part of the story.
Despite a coaching change and significant roster turnover, with nine new contributors joining the rotation around just one returning starter, the Panthers went 30-4 overall and 15-1 in Big South play to win their third straight conference regular-season title.
March Madness tips off with the First Four on Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18. High Point will be watching closely to see how its opponent performs and what seeding it receives after earning an automatic bid.
