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Kentucky vs. Oakland, NCAA Tournament: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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8 months ago

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The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

One of the best events in all of sports is upon us, March Madness, and the Kentucky Wildcats will look to make it to the second weekend for the first since 2019. That said, the first opponent in their way will be the 14-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies from Auburn Hills, Michigan, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade.

Two years ago, the Wildcats and Big Blue Nation learned not to overlook anybody after losing to a 15-seeded Saint Peter’s team ranked 260th in offensive efficiency. The Golden Grizzlies are entering the game with confidence.

“For me, this was the best matchup I think we could get as we were trying to figure it all out,” head coach Greg Kampe, who has been at Oakland for 40 years, said on local radio station 97.1 The Ticket.

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Ryan Kay of Busting Brackets, who has covered Oakland this season, has been kind enough to offer a brief scouting report to learn more about the Golden Grizzlies ahead of Thursday’s matchup.

Let’s take a look.

Scouting Report

Their non-conference performances this season may not seem impressive in terms of wins and losses but Oakland was competitive against good teams in non-conference play. In their season opener on the road against Ohio State, Oakland led the Buckeyes 52-47 in the second half before falling to Ohio State by only five points.

In the Golden Grizzlies’ second game of the season, they went on the road to face off against Illinois and once again led a Big Ten team in the second half. Oakland was leading Illinois in the second half 45-42 before losing the game by a final score of 64-53.

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In their fourth game of the season in the Cayman Islands Classic against eventual Missouri Vallery conference tournament Drake, Oakland was leading early in the second half once again 48-45 before falling to the Bulldogs by eight.

The point that is being made is that Oakland a mid-major program was gaining confidence early in the season but was unable to close out games and get early season wins against quality opponents away from their home court at the O’Rena.

After winning their last two games in the Cayman Islands Classic, their confidence continued to grow and their game at Xavier in which they held on to their second-half lead to get a signature win against a team from the Big East.

After that, yes Oakland lost a string of games but once they found their rotations that worked best and were fully healthy, they went on a run winning nine of their next ten games. Then after a road loss at Northern Kentucky, they won eight of their last nine games heading into the NCAA tournament.

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Why Oakland is a potential Cinderella team is their ability to catch teams off guard with their 1-3-1 zone defense, their ability to make threes, and a motivated, experienced head coach who has led his team to 17 wins since New Year’s Eve.

The 1-3-1 defense the Golden Grizzlies deploy is not very unique but not a defense a ton of teams have faced and endured this season. Oakland’s defense doesn’t shut opposing teams’ offenses down but it keeps their key players primarily out of foul trouble, allows them to use more of their energy on offense, and has kept teams from scoring more than 76 points in 19 games this season.

Oakland can make three-pointers as they made 24 threes in the Horizon League tournament. Jack Gohlke is the Golden Grizzlies’ main three-point specialist shooting 37% from beyond the arc but Blake Lampman is shooting 36.9% and DQ Cole at 35.2%. Even Horizon League player of the year Trey Townsend shoots it at 34.6% from three-point land. Many Golden Grizzlies can shoot from beyond the arc but they are not dependent on their three-point shooting like how some other teams are.

Finally, Oakland’s long-tenure coach has defeated Power Five teams in the past. As already mentioned, in their win against Oklahoma State, Kampe and his Golden Grizzlies also have wins since 2010 against Clemson, Georgia, Washington, Houston, and Tennessee (twice). Kampe has figured out how to utilize the transfer portal as well as developing players as freshmen to seniors like Townsend, Lampman, and Chris Conway.

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Players to Watch

F Trey Townsend 6-6, 228 lbs

  • 16.9 PPG (7th in Horizon)
  • 7.8 RPG (4th in Horizon)
  • 3.1 APG
  • Horizon League Player of the Year

G Blake Lampman 6-3, 184 lbs

  • 13.2 PPG
  • 3.0 APG
  • Horizon League Second Team Selection

G Jack Gohlke 6-3, 215 lbs

  • 12.2 PPG
  • 37% 3P
  • 121 3PM (2nd in NCAA)
  • 327 of 335 shots have been three-point attempts

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball vs. Oakland Golden Grizzlies

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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3 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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5 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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6 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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