Oakland, Jack Gohlke upset Kentucky, knock Wildcats out of NCAA Tournament
The first major upset of the 2024 NCAA Tournament has occurred in Pittsburgh, with Oakland taking down Kentucky. One that was brewing from the opening tip, head coach Greg Kampe was able to take down Goliath, sending the Wildcats home early.
Nobody could have predicted the performance Jack Gohlke put together but now, he is the feel-good story in college basketball as this year’s potential Cinderella is through.
Gohlke put up 20 three-point attempts and made 10 of them. Being just one away from tying the NCAA Tournament record, it’s the shooting night of his life. He finished with 32 points, by far the most on either team.
Seven of those makes came in the first half and Kampe was telling him to continue with the shot into the second half. Gohlke listened and while he was not as effective, the three buckets were enough to get Oakland the victory and send them into the Round of 32.
“It’s just something I’ve worked so hard for my whole career,” Gohlke said in a postgame interview with CBS’ Evan Washburn. “And coach instills the confidence in me, gives me the freedom to go out there and play and influence the game in a positive way. I’m just having fun… It’s a dream. This is why players work so hard to get to this stage.”
As fun as it is to celebrate Oakland getting the win, there are now going to be a ton of questions surrounding John Calipari and Kentucky.
Calipari was facing a ton of pressure this season, needing to make some kind of run in the NCAA Tournament after a few duds. Kentucky has not made the second weekend since 2019 and just one win since then.
A brutal stretch for a program that expects to compete for national championships on a yearly basis — especially under a head coach like Calipari.
If there is a move to make this offseason, Kentucky will be paying quite the price. On3’s Pete Nakos reported Calipari’s buyout is $33 million, an incredibly high number in the world of college basketball. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart is going to have some tough decisions to make in the coming months.
Tough moments for Kentucky but elation for Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies are moving on and will play on Saturday, awaiting the winner of Texas Tech and NC State — set to tip-off after not too long in Pittsburgh.