PITTSBURGH — Behind 10 3-pointers by Jack Gohlke, the No. 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies shocked the three-seeded Kentucky Wildcats 80-76 in the first round of the South Region on Thursday night.
Gohlke finished with 32 points, Trey Townsend had 12 and DQ Cole chipped in with 12, as the Horizon League champions dealt the Wildcats (23-10) and their NBA-stacked roster with another disappointing early tournament exit.
Despite being a 13 1/2-point favorite, coach John Calipari and his Wildcats have a recent history of struggling in the tournament. Kentucky has not advanced past opening weekend since 2019.
But for Oakland coach Greg Kampe, tonight was a triumph four decades in the making. Kampe, 68, is the longest-tenured coach in Division I and has spent 40 years at the commuter school in Rochester, Michigan.
Gohlke was white-hot from behind the arc in the first half, sinking seven 3-pointers. He was just one three-ball shy of tying Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer's NCAA Tournament record, which was set in 1990.
And while Gohlke cooled off a bit in the second half, as Kentucky began picking him up at halfcourt, his teammates were there to pick up the slack.
Antonio Reeves gave Kentucky a 45-43 lead on a layup with 15:02 remaining in the second half. But from that point on, Oakland never trailed during the final 14:32 of the game, leading to the program's first-ever victory in the round of 64.
The Wildcats mounted one final push in the closing minutes, cutting the score to 75-74 with Rob Dillingham drained a three with 1:03 remaining, giving the bench and blue and white supporters some life.
But Cole delivered a dagger on the next possession, with a three from the corner to give the Golden Grizzlies (24-11) a four-point lead with 28 seconds left.
Antonio Reeves led Kentucky scorers with 27 points. Tre Mitchell had 14 and Rob Dillingham added 10.
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