By early evening on Thursday, madness had not yet struck the NCAA Tournament. Afternoon games on the tournament's first full day had provided some upsets but nothing that shook the college basketball world.
Enter Jack Gohlke and the 14th-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies, who pulled off a massive 80-76 upset of the third-seeded Kentucky Wildcats and then, after the game, downplayed his team's underdog status.
"We're not a Cinderella," Gohlke insisted in a postgame interview and again later at a news conference.
Sorry, Jack, but when it comes to favorites and underdogs, public perception equals reality.
Oakland, whose campus is in Auburn Hills, Michigan, has been to the NCAA tournament just four times since turning Division I, most recently in 2011, and has never won in the round of 64.
Meanwhile, Kentucky ranks among the all-time great college basketball programs with eight national championships and 17 Final Four appearances.
Furthermore, according to one mock draft published last week, the current Wildcats roster boasts at least four NBA prospects, including freshman guards Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, projected as the 2024 NBA draft's third- and sixth-overall picks, respectively.
But Sheppard and Dillingham combined for only 13 points off the Kentucky bench on Thursday. And another guard, wearing the opposing jersey, stole the show. So we might forgive him if he does not want to be called "Cinderella."
Gohlke, a graduate transfer from conservative Hillsdale College in southern Michigan, rocked the Wildcats with a shooting performance for the ages.
The 6-foot-3 guard came off the Golden Grizzlies' bench to score 32 points on 10-20 shooting. He did not attempt a shot inside the 3-point line.
Remarkably, seven of Gohlke's 10 made 3-pointers came in the first half, helping Oakland build a 38-35 halftime lead.
Readers may view Gohlke's first-half barrage -- and the reaction of the crowd in Pittsburgh -- in the video below:
JACK GOHLKE LIT UP KENTUCKY IN THE FIRST HALF 🔥
7 THREES OFF THE BENCH 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wtIKKqhShu
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 22, 2024
After halftime, when Kentucky closed the gap to 46-45, Gohlke stretched the lead back to four points.
8TH THREE OF THE NIGHT FOR GOHLKE ♨️#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/QzJm5Ojfkv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2024
Later, with the Wildcats again threatening to take the lead, Gohlke nailed his final 3-pointer of the night to become only the fifth player in NCAA tournament history with 10 or more made 3-point field goals in a single game.
̶S̶t̶e̶p̶h̶ ̶C̶u̶r̶r̶y̶
̶F̶l̶e̶t̶c̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶M̶a̶g̶e̶e̶
JACK GOHLKE. 🔥🔥🔥#MarchMadness @OaklandMBB pic.twitter.com/NjZtPX0Yvt
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2024
How unlikely was the performance? Well, Gohlke averaged 12.8 points per game on the season. That tied for second on the team but still fell nearly 20 points below Thursday's historic outburst.
Furthermore, Gohlke's heroics alone could not seal the Golden Grizzlies' win. Junior forward Trey Townsend chipped in 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. On the season, Townsend led the team in both categories.
Likewise, perhaps the biggest shot of the night came from junior guard D.Q. Cole. With 30 seconds remaining in the game and Kentucky again having closed to within one point at 75-74, Cole drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner that gave Oakland a four-point lead and brought the crowd to a frenzy.
OAKLAND EXTENDS THE LEAD TO FOUR 🤯#MarchMadness @OaklandMBB pic.twitter.com/Zi5dOCCcTs
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2024
The game's outcome shocked nearly everyone. In fact, according to the official NCAA March Madness account on the social media platform X, only 5 percent of people who made game predictions by filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket picked Oakland to win.
"Who could've seen this one coming," NCAA March Madness said in the post.
Who could've seen this one coming 😲#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Qa2Pm96RXO
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2024
Still, longtime Oakland head coach Greg Kampe said afterward that the Golden Grizzlies relished the challenge.
"We wanted Kentucky ’cause they're the best, you know, they're the best. So we wanted that, and we wanted the stage. And our kids came through," Kampe said as he stood next to Gohkle for an on-court, postgame interview.
For his part, Gohlke showed humility and insisted that Oakland can improve as they now advance in the tournament.
"Even today, we made a lot of stupid plays. We missed a lot of free throws. I messed up on defense sometimes," he said.
Kampe smiled and good-naturedly nodded his head when Gohlke admitted to a few defensive mistakes. That perspective should help the Golden Grizzlies refocus for a Saturday matchup with the 11th-seeded N.C. State Wolfpack.
"We're gonna enjoy about 45 minutes of this and then we're gonna get ready ’cause we got a chance of a lifetime," Kampe said of his team's upcoming game.
At the interview's end, Gohlke told viewers that his team expects to perform well yet again.
"We're not a Cinderella," he said, grabbing the microphone and looking into the camera.
"We're not a Cinderella"
Jack Gohlke and Greg Kampe react to Oakland's stunning upset over Kentucky 🐻#MarchMadness @OaklandMBB pic.twitter.com/KOC103aPWt
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2024
At a news conference moments later, Gohlke elaborated.
"I know on any given night I can compete with those type of guys and our team can compete with those type of guys," Gohlke said of talent-laden Kentucky.
"And that's why I was so confident going into it, and that's why I say we're not a Cinderella, because when we play our A game, we can be the best team on the floor," he said.
"You have to think you have the same talent level as them. I know they have draft picks and I know I'm not going to the NBA, but I know on any given night, I can compete with those type of guys and our team can compete with those type of guys."
—@OaklandMBB's Jack Gohlke pic.twitter.com/PQqfhCl4O8
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 22, 2024
ESPN analyst and former college basketball player Jay Bilas has often described the NCAA Tournament as "idiot-proof."
In other words, it is so compelling that no one, not even a California Democrat, could destroy it.
For instance, every year someone like Gohlke emerges from obscurity, puts on a show and delivers an instant classic.
Indeed, March Madness never disappoints.
