Oakland’s Jack Gohlke Becomes March Madness Icon in Upset of Kentucky

Jack GohlkeTim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Defense loomed as the single-greatest concern for the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament, and the Oakland Grizzlies needed only 40 minutes to prove why.

More precisely, they needed a Jack Gohlke.

A sixth-year senior, he opened the night as an unknown nationally. With a little help from his new friends, the transfer from Hillsdale College—a Division II school in Michigan—ended Thursday with one of the best three-point performances in March Madness history.

In the process, Gohlke and the Horizon League-champion Grizzlies won 80-76 and knocked third-seeded Kentucky out of the Big Dance.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReportNO. 14 OAKLAND UPSETS NO. 3 KENTUCKY IN THE 1ST ROUND 😱

THIS. IS. MARCH. pic.twitter.com/QAH5UChTnb

Whether you watched Oakland throughout the season or simply browsed some stats, you probably knew what to expect: Gohlke would be launching threes in Pittsburgh.

Gohlke entered the first-round matchup with 327 three-point attempts on the season. Inside the arc? Oh, you know, eight.

That’s not a misprint.

Gohlke totaled eight two-point attempts all season while averaging 9.6 long-distance shots per game. He knocked down 37 percent of those triples, providing 12.2 points as a perimeter mercenary off the bench.

Thursday night, the 24-year-old put together an incredible game. Gohlke drained 10 threes—becoming only the fifth player in NCAA tournament history to reach the mark—and scored a season-high 32 points, sparking the program’s first-ever first-round victory in March Madness.

NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBBAn all-time great #MarchMadness performance 👏

Take a bow Jack Gohlke 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kzvdEOUvuB

Oakland last reached the tourney in 2011 and took fourth-seeded Texas to the wire in a tight 85-81 result. Two previous trips included a play-in game triumph and 28-point loss in 2005 and a 23-point loss in 2010.

Taking down a blue blood is a decent way to break the streak.

Gohlke didn’t do it alone, of course. Oakland’s well-rehearsed zone defense made the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense work extremely hard. Kentucky rarely found easy shots and mustered a 42.6 overall clip, its seventh-worst mark of the season.

Oakland took a 46-45 advantage with 14:38 remaining and never trailed again, though it was always a nerve-wracking edge.

Kentucky trimmed the deficit to one or two points on five separate occasions in the last eight minutes, but the Grizzlies always found an answer. Sometimes, it was a defensive stop. Gohlke also drilled a clutch three, and DQ Cole added two—including the dagger in the final minute.

In short, Oakland looked fearless.

Kentucky kept hanging around, and a roster stacked with NBA talent had many opportunities to take over. However, the 14th-seeded Grizzlies stood firm and prevented UK coach John Calipari from reaching even the Sweet 16 for a third straight NCAA tourney.

Justin K. Aller/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

From the very beginning, the upset seemed possible.

Kentucky scored only a handful of points in the opening five minutes, and Gohlke soon began his torrid night. He hit threes on back-to-back possessions twice during the opening half, heading into the locker room with 21 points and propelling Oakland to a 38-35 lead.

The star of the night played with absolute confidence, which undoubtedly is a partial product of the trust he’s earned from Greg Kampe—who has been Oakland’s head coach since 1984.

“Just go shoot it, baby. You’re the best,” Kampe said he told the veteran sharpshooter leading up to the game.

Gohlke did exactly that. He was that, too.

No matter what happens on Saturday in the second round, he’s become a part of March Madness lore. Oakland’s opponent—No. 11-seeded North Carolina State—must be prepared to chase him around in hopes of preventing his star from hurtling toward the celestial sphere of Stephen Curry in 2008 at Davidson.

Gohlke, kind soul he is, provided a quick scouting report in his postgame interview: “I’ll be firing again.”

Stopping him, however, is easier said than done. Kentucky learned that lesson in the worst way possible, as Gohlke made himself the single-greatest concern for the Wolfpack’s defense.