#14 Oakland Knocks Off #3 Kentucky, Recapping a Wild Day One in the 2024 March Madness South Region
In what was a tall task, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies put together an unforgettable performance in the Round of 64 to pick off the heavily favored Wildcats, 80-76. In many brackets around the world, Calipari’s team was a hot commodity to be destined for a deep run in March. Unfortunately, Jack Gohlke had different plans. In what was one of the most insane shooting performances we have seen in March, he capped off the victory with 32 points, shooting 10/20 from downtown. Greg Kampe coached not only Gohlke but the whole team in a surreal effort.
A consistent first half was the key for Oakland University in keeping up with the high tempo of the Wildcats. From missed open looks to missed layups, Kentucky was mainly shooting themselves in the foot every time down the floor. Antonio Reeves was going back and forth with Gohlke, scoring 27 points in a stunner. The Grizzlies would see themselves up three points at the half, where Kentucky started to become vulnerable. Going into the second half, Oakland was hanging with the top dog and stayed within distance the whole way. Always keeping it within a one-possession game, they were poised to go on a run. That's when a new star was born in Jack Gohlke, sinking three-pointers from everywhere beyond the arch. As Rob Dillingham tried to answer back with a couple of threes himself, time ran out on Kentucky’s hopes and dreams of a Final Four run. For now, the Cinderella run for Oakland University has just begun.
Who will be meeting Jack Gohlke and the Golden Grizzlies on Saturday? The battle-tested ACC Champion, 11 seeded North Carolina State. The Wolfpack came into this one again as a double-digit seed, this time being 11. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, 10-seeded NC State had a magical run to win the ACC Tournament and steal a bid into “The Dance.” NC State would go on today facing a Big 12 team in Texas Tech, led by Pop Isaacs. The Wolfpack believe the world is against them, using it as fuel to the fire into another major shake-up in the tournament.
The sixth-seeded Red Raiders fell to the Wolfpack 80-67, in a tight contest the whole way. With DJ Horne continuing his miracle performance one after another, he added 16 points to go along with six rebounds, and five assists. Through the first half, there was not much to separate either side, as they were feeling each other out in both of their first game of March Madness. In the second half, a huge drought from Texas Tech saw NC State take hold of the game with about seven minutes to go. Barring a collapse, Kevin Keatts perfected his team's style to seek out the win. Big man, DJ Burns played perfect defense against the frontcourt of Texas Tech while supplying 16 points in the upset victory. The star and a huge key performance off the bench for Ben Middlebrooks was the story, going for 21 points and four boards.
Not so the “Wild Wild West”, but the South region has it all folks. The upsets, the energy, and the passion highlighted Day One in the region. Tomorrow, six games will be played in the South Region, rounding off the Round of 64. Will we be able to see a Western Kentucky team knock off Marquette? Or can the Catamounts from Vermont potentially spoil Duke’s party? As always, This is March.
