Down goes Big Blue nation.
The No. 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies used a memorable 3-point shooting performance by Jack Gohlke to stun No. 3 seed Kentucky, 80-76, in the biggest upset of this NCAA men’s tournament so far.
Oakland got off to a bad start after it missed its first seven shots of the day. But it shook it off with an outstanding 3-point performance, hitting 15 of 31 shots from beyond the arc – including 10 by Gohlke – to defeat the team that was the best 3-point shooting squad in the country.
The stunning loss is another disappointing postseason showing for Kentucky, which has a 1-3 record in its last three tournaments with two first-round exits, as No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.
The win over the eight-time national champions was a monumental one for the Golden Grizzlies; it’s their second ever NCAA tournament win, but first in the field of 64.
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“We wanted Kentucky cause they’re the best,” head coach Greg Kampe said after the win .”We wanted that and we wanted to stage, and our kids came through.”
Jack Gohlke leads Oakland to beat Kentucky
The Golden Grizzlies were powered by Gohlke, who came off the bench with a 32-point performance. He came close to the record for most 3-pointers made in an NCAA Tournament game, which is 11 by Jeff Fryer of Loyola Marymount in 1990. Gohlke became the fifth player in NCAA Tournament history to make 10 3-pointers in one game.
Gohlke got hot quickly to get Oakland ahead in the first half, with seven of his 3-pointers made in the first 20 minutes.
When asked how his team pulled off the win, Kampe looked at Gohlke and shrugged.
“This guy right here, he had no conscious. We talked all week. Just go shoot it, baby. You’re the best. He’s the best, and he proved it to the world tonight,” Kampe said.
Entering Thursday, Gohlke was third in Division I with 3.6 made 3-pointers per game, and his 37% 3-point shooting percentage was 66th in the country.
Where is Oakland University?
No, the Golden Grizzlies aren’t from Oakland, California.
The university is located in Rochester, Michigan and its campus extends to Auburn Hills. It is located in Oakland County.
Oakland Golden Grizzlies tournament history
This is Oakland’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011, and first win in the big dance since 2005. That year, it beat Alabama A&M in an opening-round game between 16-seeds before it lost to North Carolina in the first round.
With a record of 0-3 heading into Thursday, the win over Kentucky was the first win in the first round in school history. Oakland will play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Who is Oakland’s head coach?
Oakland is led by Greg Kampe, who is in his 40th season coaching the Golden Grizzlies. He is the currently the longest tenured coach in college basketball.
The win on Thursday now gives Kampe a 699-536 overall record, including a 437-366 record in the last 21 seasons at the Division I level.
Who will Oakland face next?
Oakland will meet the winner of No. 6 seed Texas Tech and No. 11 seed North Carolina State in the second round Saturday. The game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
“We’re going to enjoy about 45 minutes of this and we’re gonna get ready because we got a chance of a lifetime. This isn’t the end of it,” Kampe said.
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