By SAM LANCE
Every year in March Madness, it seems like a new star is born. This tournament, that guy may just be Oakland’s Jack Gohlke.
The 6-foot-3 graduate student became one of five players in NCAA Tournament history with 10 3-point makes in a single game to help lead Oakland past Kentucky, 80-76, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Gohlke also had a game-high 32 points.
“It’s just something I’ve worked so hard for my whole career,” Gohlke said postgame. “Coach just 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 man… It’s a dream. This is why us players work so hard, to get to this stage.” Gohlke spent five seasons at Division II Hillsdale College (MI) before transferring to Oakland this season. He entered the Kentucky game with 335 field goal attempts on the season. Of those 335, 327 had come from beyond the arc. On Thursday night vs. Kentucky, Gohlke was 10-of-20 from the field. And if you were asking, yes, all his field goal attempts were 3-pointers. “He had no conscious,” Oakland head coach Greg Kampe said of Gohlke postgame. “He’s the best and he proved it to the world tonight.” With the loss, John Calipari and Kentucky are now 2-7 in postseason play since 2021. Kentucky hasn’t been out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019. It’s possible Calipari just coached his last game at Kentucky.OAKLAND HOLDS ON TO SHOCK KENTUCKY 😱
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2024
THIS IS MARCH MADNESS!#MarchMadness @OaklandMBB pic.twitter.com/szWbMa75EU
With the win, Oakland is advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. “We’re going to enjoy about 45 minutes of this, and then we’re going to get ready because we have the chance of a lifetime,” Kampe said. “This isn’t the end of it, you know. This is not the end of it. We’ve got more and the only way we’re going to win Saturday is to stay focused and take them one at a time. And we’re going to do that.” Oakland will player the winner of No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 NC State on Saturday in Pittsburgh. “We’re not a Cinderella,” Gohlke said. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookNo. 3 Kentucky loses to No. 14 Oakland and is now 1-4 in its last 5 NCAA Tournament games.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 22, 2024
In 2 of the last 3 years they have lost to a 15 and a 14 seed, respectively.
John Calipari’s seat has never been hotter. https://t.co/LnPRD9CkIh
