Published: March 22, 2024
Kentucky averaged 89 points a game this season. They had a roster loaded with future NBA talent. They were a 3-seed.
None of it mattered on Thursday night.
Oakland guard Jack Gohlke made 10 three-pointers - tying an NCAA Tournament record - and the 14-seed Golden Grizzlies beat Kentucky 80-76. It was Oakland's first NCAA Tournament win in program history. The Horizon League champions, who had to win their conference tournament just to get into the field, outplayed one of college basketball's blue bloods for a full 40 minutes.
Gohlke finished with 32 points, all from beyond the arc. He shot 10-for-20 from three. When he's on like that, there's no defensive scheme that fixes the problem. Kentucky tried switching, tried running him off the line, tried closing out harder. He kept shooting and he kept making them.
The Wildcats had their chances. Antonio Reeves scored 23 and Reed Sheppard added 15. But Kentucky committed too many turnovers (14) and couldn't contain Gohlke when it mattered. The Golden Grizzlies held a lead for most of the second half and never let it slip away.
For bracket pools, the damage was immediate. Less than one percent of brackets on ESPN still had a perfect record after this game. Oakland went on to push 11-seed NC State to overtime in the second round before their run ended, but their first-round win was the signature upset of the opening day.
Kentucky coach John Calipari, who would leave for Arkansas after the season, watched his team exit the tournament in the first round for the second time in three years. The Wildcats had been upset by 15-seed Saint Peter's in 2022 and were a popular pick for a deep run this time around.
That's March. The most talented roster doesn't always make it to the second weekend. Sometimes it only takes one guy with a hot hand and nothing to lose.
In short: Oakland's Jack Gohlke hit 10 threes to knock off 3-seed Kentucky in one of the biggest first-round upsets of 2024. Less than one percent of brackets survived it.