After a 29-5 season and conference title, High Point locked up a bid to the Big Dance in 2025. They rode that momentum into the following season, finishing with a 30-4 record and a Big South Championship, which earned them a second straight trip to March Madness.
The Panthers may be in their second straight tourney, but compared to some other March Madness squads, High Point may not be a very recognizable program to the average college hoops fan.
With an automatic tournament bid secured amid a record-breaking season for the Panthers, they'll seek to make a bigger name for themselves on the sport's brightest stage. To some, though, it may be unclear just exactly where High Point is based out of.
Here's what to know about High Point University.
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Where is High Point located?
High Point University is located in High Point, North Carolina, which is in the northern portion of the state. The city is just outside of Greensboro, under 20 miles away, while it's around 79 miles from Charlotte and around 93 from Raleigh.
High Point is a private university that's affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It had an enrollment of 6,335 students as of August 2024, per the school's website, and the campus is around 560 acres.
HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5
What conference is High Point in?
The High Point Panthers, who have 17 varsity sports, compete in the NCAA's Big South Conference. The conference was founded in 1983 and is based in the South Atlantic region of the United States.
High Point joined the conference in 1999 and has been a member since. The Big South currently includes nine teams, which are as follows:
South Carolina Upstate
Winthrop
High Point
Radford
Longwood
Charleston Southern
UNC Asheville
Presbyterian
Gardner-Webb
SN AWARDS:All-America team |Player of the Year |Coach of the Year
High Point name origin
High Point is directly named after the city it's located in: High Point, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1924 as High Point College, but became High Point University in 1991.
The school was originally created after the Methodist Protestant Church began pursuing educational institutions in North Carolina throughout the 1800s, voting to establish a new college in 1921. The citizens of High Point offered land and $100,000 toward a new school, and it officially opened in September 1924.
In October 1991, the school became High Point University so it would reflect post-graduate degree programs.
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High Point NCAA Tournament history
The Panthers made program history by cracking the NCAA Tournament in 2025; it will mark the program's first-ever appearance in the Division I tournament.
High Point made the Division II NCAA Tournament twice throughout the 1990s, reaching the Round of 32 in 1996 and 1997. The Panthers have also played in the NIT twice (2014, 2015), and the CIT twice (2013, 2015), but prior to 2025, they had never made a March Madness appearance since joining the Big South in 1999.
The Panthers have now won the Big South's regular season title six times, but 2025 was their first time making the big dance as a Division I squad. High Point jumped out to an early lead against Purdue, but the Boilermakers eventually pulled away with a 75-63 victory.