Down goes Kentucky -- again.
The first massive upset in the 2024 men's NCAA Tournament came on Thursday night in the South region, where the No. 14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies stunned the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats 80-76 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Oakland, which entered with just one March Madness victory in program history, knocked down 15 3-pointers en route to becoming the 23rd No. 14 seed to ever upset a No. 3 seed.
Ten of Oakland's 3-point makes came from sharpshooting sixth man Jack Gohlke. The graduate transfer, who came over from Division II, drilled 10 of his 20 3-point tries, just one make shy of the single-game tournament record, for a game-high 32 points. The Grizzlies also got 17 points and 12 rebounds from Trey Townsend.
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The upset marks just the latest disappointing March Madness result for head coach John Calipari and the Wildcats.
Kentucky is now 1-3 over its last three NCAA Tournament appearances, including losses to a No. 14 seed and No. 15 seed (Saint Peter's in 2022). The Wildcats also missed out on the tournament completely in 2021.
Kentucky had a run of four Final Four appearances in five years under Calipari from 2011-15, making two championship games and winning one. The Wildcats, who consistently boast a top-five recruiting class, have gone as far as the Elite Eight twice since, with their 2019 appearance being the last time they made it out of the tournament's opening weekend.
After Kentucky's latest early exit in March Madness, college basketball fans on social media let Calipari hear it:
Could the Wildcats really fire Calipari? Well, it would be an expensive move to make.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Calipari will still be owed more than $33 million if the Wildcats move on from him.
