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The number 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies upset the number 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats Thursday in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament thanks to a staggering 10 three pointers made by Oakland guard Jack Gohlke.
What to Know About Oakland
Oakland head coach Greg Kampe is in his 40th season with the program and is the longest-tenured active head coach in Division I.
Thursday night’s win over the Wildcats was Oakland’s second NCAA Tournament win in school history, having previously defeating Alabama A&M in the opening round of the tournament in 2005. However, that was merely a play-in game to face top seed North Carolina, who would defeat the Golden Grizzlies 96-68 in the Round of 64.
Oakland’s win against Kentucky, however, marks the program’s first ever victory in the Round of 64.
Gohlke Lights It Up
Graduate student Jack Gohlke, who spent five years playing at Hillsdale College in Division II, delivered one of the best shooting performances in NCAA Tournament history for the Golden Grizzlies. Gohlke exclusively attempted three pointers on the night, going 10-20 from beyond the arc and adding two free throws to finish with a career-high 32 points.
Further, Gohlke poured in his 32 points off the bench and hit seven of his 10 three pointers in the first half. He also missed his first two three point attempts of the game before making his first three-pointer on the left wing at the 13:52 mark of the first half.
The Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native was just one three-point make shy of tying the single NCAA Tournament game record of 11 three pointers set by Jeff Fryer for Loyola Marymount in 1990.
Gohlke has attempted just eight two point shots on the season compared to 347 three-pointers following Thursday’s contest.
Kentucky Suffers Another Early Tournament Exit
Thursday’s loss to Oakland was Kentucky’s second Round of 64 loss in the last three seasons, including a Round of 32 loss last season against number three seed Kansas State. In 2022, the number two seed Wildcats shockingly lost to 15 seed Saint Peter’s, who would become the first 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight.
One and None?
Kentucky head coach John Calipari has been known for bringing in one of the top high school recruiting classes each year and attempting to win with a team of several “one-and-done” players, who will likely depart for the NBA draft after one season in college. Calipari, who took over as head coach in 2009, saw immense success in his first nine seasons with the program, appearing in seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and two national championships, including a national championship win.
However, the Wildcats have failed to make it further than the Round of 32 since advancing to the Elite Eight in 2019, when they lost to the five seed Auburn.
Calipari has landed no worse than the number six ranked recruiting class since 2019, including multiple first and second-ranked classes, according to 247Sports.
The 2023 recruiting class finished as the number one overall high school recruiting class, according to 247Sports. It featured freshmen guards Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, who are both projected lottery picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft. It also featured three of the top six ranked high school players in the country in DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw and Justin Edwards.
Despite all the talent on the roster, Kentucky is going home earlier than expected once again this NCAA Tournament.
Greg Kampe and his Oakland squad will look to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history when they go up against number 11 seed North Carolina State at 7:10 p.m. on March 23.
