The 14-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies took advantage of a shaky Kentucky Wildcats unit, handing Big Blue an 80-76 loss in the tournament’s biggest upset thus far. Kentucky came into this game as a third seed, sporting one of the deeper squads in the country. John Calipari’s squad had five starters averaging double-digit points, and the team’s 89.4 points per game was ranked second in the country. However, this is March and none of that matters.
How did the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Pull It Off?
Grizzlies guard Jack Gohlke punished a lackluster Wildcat defense, making 10 threes on the way to a 32-point performance. However, it wasn’t just a one-man show. Trey Townsend (17 points) and DQ Cole (12 points) each made crucial shots down the stretch for the Horizon League champions. Cole hit a corner three with 28 seconds left after Kentucky momentarily left him open.
Oakland shot 15-of-31 from long range, good for a red-hot 48.4 percent. Gohlke’s 10 threes came on just 20 attempts from beyond the arc, and Cole converted all three of his shots from downtown. Townsend did the dirty work, grabbing 12 boards and playing for 39 minutes.
Five years ago, Jack Gohlke was a redshirt freshman at Hillsdale College (Division II).
Tonight, he made 10 three-point shots and scored 32 points as Oakland upset Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
Anarchy?
Nope. Just College Basketball.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 22, 2024
What Happened to the Kentucky Wildcats?
In addition to falling asleep defensively, the Wildcats’ offensive performance left much to be desired. Guard Antonio Reeves was the only reliable scorer, putting up 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting. Forward Tre Mitchell registered 14 points and 13 boards, but those were the only two noteworthy performances for Kentucky. The Wildcats couldn’t even take advantage of the Grizzlie’s struggles from the charity stripe, as Oakland shot just 13-of-23 on free throws.
Kentucky noticeably lacked rhythm on offense, often settling for bad three-pointers rather than cutting and passing. As a result, the squad shot just nine-of-28 from long range (32.1 percent). The Wildcats were also minus-four in the turnover battle, coughing it up 11 times compared to seven blemishes for the Grizzlies.
NO. 14 OAKLAND UPSETS NO. 3 KENTUCKY IN THE 1ST ROUND ?
THIS. IS. MARCH. pic.twitter.com/QAH5UChTnb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 22, 2024
Outlook for Each Team
This was an alarmingly bad performance for Kentucky, as it never had the lead for the final 14:32. The Wildcats came in as 13.5-point favorites but suffered yet another embarrassing loss. Analysts and fans alike may start calling for coach Calipari’s job, as the team hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2019.
Oakland now awaits the winner of Texas Tech-NC State as it gears up for its first Round of 32 game in school history. The Grizzlies are armed with both the country’s most experienced coach and its most dangerous three-point shooter. Coach Greg Kampe has been with the team for 40 years and has seen every possible game plan that an opponent could throw his way. Meanwhile, Gohlke leads the NCAA with 131 threes made this year. The squad will be tough out as it looks to cause further damage in the South Region.
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Joshua is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. He started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper. When he’s not watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or writing a screenplay.
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