Final: No. 14 Oakland upsets No. 3 Kentucky, 80-76
No. 14 Oakland upset No. 3 Kentucky to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Senior Jack Gohlke splashed 10 three-pointers and finished with a team-high 32 points. Juniors Tre Townsend and DQ Cole were also essential in the victory, notching 17 and 12 points, respectively.
Kentucky’s senior guard Antonio Reeves tried his best to subdue the upset-minded Golden Grizzlies with a stellar 27-points performance. However, the Wildcats’ offense was no match for an opponent that shot 48.4 percent from beyond the arch. The lower-seeded Oakland also outrebounded the blue blood 40-39, often notching second-chance points with its 14 offensive rebounds.
Gohlke was unstoppable in the first half, nailing seven three pointers on 13 attempts. Oakland kept extending possession with a strong showing on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive rebounds through the first 20 minutes.
Kentucky had periods of offensive stagnation, but Reeves often snapped those streaks with some sly strikes to the cup. He entered the locker room with a team-high 14 points as his team trailed 38-35.
Oakland refused to go away in the second half after a first 20 minutes powered by Gohlke. The defense tightened up and the offense continued splashing its threes. Townsend stared to illustrate why he was named the Horizon League's Player of the Year, stepping up on both sides of the ball to finish with a double-double.
Final: Oakland 80, Kentucky 76
0:00 - Oakland makes its free throws down the stretch and ices its upset over Kentucky.
0:37 - Kentucky hits its sixth-straight three-pointer, this one courtesy of Dillingham and the Wildcats are down by a point. Oakland refuses to give up its lead to the blue bloods. Cole heads down the court and responds with a three-pointer of his own - the Golden Grizzlies are back in front by four.
1:17 - Townsend notches a steal and flips it to Cole, who's fouled by Kentucky and heads to the free throw line. He makes both and Oakland is ahead by four.
1:49 - Again, it's up to Reeves to keep Kentucky within reach of Oakland. He makes a three-point jumper and the Wildcats trail by just a couple points, 73-71.
2:09 - Edwards puts Kentucky back within a possession thanks to a three-point jumper. The teams go back-and-forth down the court with a few empty possessions before Townsend makes a tough shot in the paint to put his team ahead 73-68.
3:33 - Oakland is collecting points at the free throw line. Conway makes a couple and Gohlke adds a couple more as Kentucky tries to lock up Oakland's shooters. Oakland leads 71-65.
Oakland 67, Kentucky 65 - Tv timeout, second half
4:22 - Stop if you've heard this one before - three-point made by Golkhe. The guard nearly has the NCAA record tied with his tenth three-point of the evening. And, naturally, Kentucky's Reeves responds with his own three-point shot. Oakland is up 67-65
6:12 - It's a three-point scoring party. Reeves continues to carry Kentucky's offense, nailing a three-point shot to draw the team within three. Oakland's Cole responds with the team's thirteenth triple of the evening. Kentucky goes right back to scoring beyond the arch, this time courtesy of Reed Sheppard. The upset-minded Golden Grizzlies are ahead 64-62.
Oakland 61, Kentucky 56 - Tv timeout, second half
8:00 - A layup from Conway is sandwiched between a couple of layups from Mitchell and Oakland enters the media timeout with a 61-56 lead over Kentucky.
8:55 - Edwards makes a jumper to make it a one-possession game, but Watts starts contributing to Oakland's offensive output. He nails a jumper and is fouled on a drive to the rim on the next possession, hitting both free throws. The Golden Grizzlies are ahead 59-52.
10:38 - After a made free throw from Kentucky, Oakland makes a few key stops on defense, capped off with a layup from Townsend. The Golden Grizzlies are refusing to go away.
Oakland 53, Kentucky 49 - Tv timeout, second half
12:09 - Another three-point basket from - who else? Gohlke. He splashes the shot after a pair of free throws from Mitchell. The triple is followed up with a Reeves jumper to put Kentucky back within three points. After a few empty possessions for both teams, Townsend adds a point with a free throw and Oakland heads into the media timeout with a four-point lead.
14:07 - Gohlke is back in action. He splashes his eighth three and Oakland heads into the first media timeout ahead 49-45.
14:38 - Townsend continues to generate a majority of Oakland's second-half offense, nailing a three-point shot after a layup from Reeves.
16:20 - After trading a couple of empty possessions, Oakland commits a foul on a layup from Justin Edwards and the freshman makes the ensuing free throw to knot things up 43-43.
17:07 - Townsend hits a jumper to put his team back on top 41-40. Following a misses three-point shot from Kentucky's Mitchell, Oakland moves back down the court slowly and Townsend notches the assist on a Conway jumper just outside the paint. The Golden Grizzlies are ahead by three.
19:05 - Kentucky comes right out the half with a huge slam from Aaron Bradshaw. Townsend goes 1-2 on free throw attempts after a foul, but Ugonna Onyenso heads right back down the court, notches a layup and adds a free three after a foul on Conway. Kentucky is ahead by a point, 40-39.
At the half: Oakland 38, Kentucky 35
0:00 - Watts hits a step-back jumper to put Oakland up 38-35 for the final points of the half. The Golden Grizzlies head to the locker room with the lead.
1:55 - Who else but Gohlke? Following a couple more free throws from Dillingham, the red-hot Gohlke splashes his seventh three-point shot of the first half and Oakland is ahead 36-35.
2:55 - Rob Dillingham puts Kentucky back ahead 33-31 with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer, but a two-point jumper from Chris Conway knots things up yet again.
Oakland 31, Kentucky 28 - TV Timeout first half
3:48 - The teams are just trading threes back and forth on each possession. Yet another triple from Gohlke is sandwiched between a pair of three-point jumpers from Reeves as the duo continue their fantastic first-half performances for their respective teams. The two are tied 28-28. Oakland's Blake Lampman joins the three-point party with a make of his own to put his team ahead 31-28 with just a few minutes left in the half.
5: 35 - Mitchell shoots a couple more free throws to bring the put Kentucky behind by just a point, but Townsend heads right down the floor and nails a jumper to put Oakland back up by three.
6:36 - Aaron Bradshaw gets a free throw out of the media timeout to cut into Oakland's lead. The Golden Grizzlies miss a couple of free throws before Reeves knives to the cup on the other end for yet another layup, brining the Wildcats within three points.
Oakland 23, Kentucky 17 - TV Timeout first half
8:31 - Kentucky keeps chipping away with a free throw and a layup from Mitchell to get to 17 points, but the Wildcats don't have an answer for Gohlke. The three-point specialist banks his fifth three-point shot of the night and the Golden Grizzlies are ahead 22-17. Cole adds a point with a free throw and Oakland heads to the third media timeout of the first half with a 23-17 lead.
10:08 - Gohlke is red-hot. Following a layup from Townsend, Gohlke lets it rip on two straight possession and nails a couple more three pointers. Oakland is ahead 19-13.
11:58 - Reeves continues to illustrate his ability to slip to the rim with another layup and the teams are tied at 11 apiece. Zvonimir Ivisic makes a two-point shot following an Oakland turnover and Kentucky is back in the lead.
Kentucky 13, Oakland 11 - TV timeout, 1st half
13:08 - It's a couple more quick lead changes following Gohlke's bucket. Adou Thiero dunks after a Kentucky offensive rebound to put his team back in front, but Gohlke swishes his second-straight triple and Oakland leads 11-9.
13:52 - It doesn't take long for Oakland to respond. Less than ten seconds later, Jack Gohlke splashes a three-point shot to put his team back in front 8-7.
14:04 - Mitchell adds a point with a free throw and Reeves drives to the cup with his second layup of the game, putting Kentucky back in front 7-5.
14:53 - Oakland is racking up offense rebounds, already with seven just over five minutes through the first half. Rocket Watts finally cashes in with a jumper to put Oakland ahead 5-4 after three consecutive offensive rebounds.
Kentucky, 4 Oakland 3 - TV Timeout, 1st half
16:36 - Antonio Reeves drives to the bucket and retakes the lead for the Wildcats with a layup. Again, it's after a poor stretch of offense from both teams.
16:53 - Things get a little ugly following Mitchell's opening jumper. The teams trade multiple empty possessions, featuring bricks and rebounds. Offense is hard to come by. DQ Cole finally breaks the scoreless stretch with a triple with an assist from Trey Townsend, putting the Golden Grizzlies ahead 3-2.
19:51 - Forward Tre Mitchell opens scoring for the Wildcats quickly.
Pregame
No. 14 seed Oakland is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, taking on No. 3 Kentucky in a first-round matchup on Thursday. It's head coach Greg Kampe and the program's fourth appearance in the Big Dance.
The Golden Grizzlies cruised to a 23-11 record and the regular-season Horizon League title. Oakland earned its tournament bid with an 83-76 win over Milwaukee in the Horizon League tournament final.
Junior Trey Townsend was essential in what was an excellent season for the program. The Oxford native is a do-it-all forward for Oakland, leading the team in a bevy of statistical categories. Townsend averages 16.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game game. There's some depth behind him, with three additional players averaging over 10 points per game on the season.
Kentucky is a true blue blood and, unsurprisingly, a heavy favorite against Oakland. The Wildcats haven't been quite the powerhouse of years past, losing to Texas A&M in the SEC tournament quarterfinals and finishing in a four-way tie for second in the regular-season conference standings.
However, Kentucky embarked on a tough schedule this season. It enters the tournament ranked No. 18 in the NET and has a roster that finally looks healthy. Senior guard Antonio Reeves is the team's most lethal scorer, averaging 20 points a game. There's also plenty of danger in the frontcourt, featuring a trio of 7-footers that craft a formidable interior defense. Plus, head coach John Calipari is always a name to fear in March.
Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Alex Faber.
South Region
NO. 14 OAKLAND VS. NO. 3 KENTUCKY
▶ Tip-off: 7:10 p.m. Thursday, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
▶ Records: Oakland 23-11; Kentucky 23-9
▶ TV/radio: CBS/1270
▶ Series: First meeting
▶ Next: Winner of No. 6 Texas Tech (23-10) and No. 11 N.C. State (22-14), Saturday