The High Point Panthers just pulled off the biggest upset of March Madness thus far, defeating No. 5-seeded Wisconsin as a No. 12 seed. Rob Martin led the Panthers with 23 points and Terry Anderson chipped in with 15 points of his own, but senior Chase Johnston was the player who stole the show in Portland.

Johnston, a player most if not all casual college basketball fans had undoubtedly never heard of entering Thursday, introduced himself to the nation in a big way. He hit the game-winning layup, sure, but perhaps more importantly he showed in this game why he’s an X-Factor in what could be a magical run for this High Point squad.

Who is Chase Johnston? Senior wastes no time making headlines

On the surface, Johnston is an easy player to overlook. High Point is the third school the 26-year-old guard (yes, 26) has played for, and he’s averaged under seven points per game in each of his two seasons with the Panthers. What makes his emergence even crazier is that after starting 34 of the 35 games he appeared in last season and averaging 22 minutes per game, Johnston only started 11 times in 32 contests this year and saw his playing time dip to 12.7 minutes per game.

He didn’t see the court much, and is far from a top prospect. His stats don’t exactly jump off the page, either, as Johnston averaged just six points per game despite scoring being his best attribute.

With that being said, Johnston has lasted this long in D1 hoops because he can shoot the lights out. His game-winner was a layup, but his shot was on full display on Thursday, and could be the driving force behind an unlikely High Point run.

Why Chase Johnston is an X-Factor worth paying attention to

This comes down to his ability to shoot. Johnston went 4-for-6 from deep on Thursday, and that strong showing is far from an outlier. He shot a whopping 48.5 percent from 3-point range on over four attempts per game, and has hit a shade under 40 percent of his treys in his collegiate career.

To put into perspective how much of a shoot-only player Johnston is, he went 64-for-132 from three in the regular season, and 0-for-4 from two-point range. That’s right: He attempted just four shots from inside the arc and missed all of them. His game-winning lay-up was his first two-point make of the year. Let that sink in.

His sole purpose is to make 3s and space the floor; there isn’t much else he’s good at. That might limit his overall upside, but High Point uses him in a bench role, so that doesn’t really matter. If he encounters a rare off night with his shot, the Panthers don’t have to play him much. With that being said, though, Johnston’s ability to stretch the floor and score in bunches can lift High Point in a big way. He’s perfect for his role.

His shooting allows them to come back from any somewhat reasonable deficit. It also allows them to put their opponent away when they’re leading. It also forces the opposing defenses to pay attention to him, creating space for his teammates to get better shots. I mean, look at this ridiculousness.

At the end of the day, regular-season statistics don’t matter much in elimination games. Skills matter, and while Johnston might not be particularly well-rounded as a player, he’s one of if not the best pure shooter in the nation. That one elite trait can be enough to carry a team on a game-by-game basis.

The layup is what most people will watch, but High Point doesn’t even make this game close without Johnston’s four three-pointers. Don’t be surprised to see him hit many more over the course of the tournament.