No. 14 Oakland pulled off the biggest upset yet in the men's NCAA Tournament with an 80-76 victory over No. 3 Kentucky on Thursday.
The Golden Grizzlies led by seven with eight minutes left, their biggest lead of the night.
But the Wildcats were quickly able to narrow it down to two. After a foul on a 3-pointer, the red-hot Jack Gohlke (more on him soon) hit two of three from the free throw line, putting Oakland up six with less than 3½ minutes left.
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Jack Gohlke of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies reacts after hitting a three-pointer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half of the first round of the NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
With less than 90 seconds left, Kentucky had a chance to take the lead, but the Wildcats lost it and DQ Cole made two free throws after being fouled, putting Oakland back up by four.
Rob Dillingham hit a wild 3-pointer for the Wildcats, making it a one-point game, but Cole responded with an equally crazy 3-pointer to put the Grizzlies up 78-74 with 37 seconds left.
Kentucky's Reed Sheppard missed a 3-pointer, continuing his cold night, and Oakland's Trey Townsend made one of his two free throws to go up five. Kentucky made a layup to leave a three-point deficit with 3.9 ticks left, but Townsend again went 1-for-2 from the line after a necessary foul, nearly icing the game.
The name of the game was three-point shooting. Oakland was 15 of 31, while Kentucky was just 9 of 27. Oakland was woeful from the free throw line, missing six of its first nine. Oakland hit 10 of its last 14, while Kentucky hit 15 of 20 from the line.
Jack Gohlke of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies reacts after hitting a three-pointer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half of the first round of the NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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But most of Oakland's 3-point success came from Gohlke's transfer to Division II. He was 10-for-20 from deep off the bench, giving up 32 points. He became the fifth player in tournament history to make at least 10 three-pointers.
In the regular season, he converted 324 three-point attempts and only eight shots from inside the perimeter.
It may be a surprise on paper, but Gohlke seemed confident in his team after the game.
In his post-match interview, he was direct.
“We are not a Cinderella,” he said.
Jack Gohlke of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies celebrates after making a three-pointer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of the first round of the NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
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With the loss, it is Kentucky's second first-round loss in three years as a top-three team. The Wildcats also lost to No. 15 St. Peter's in 2022 as the runner-up.
Oakland will face the winner of No. 6 Texas Tech and No. 11 NC State on Saturday.
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