Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s loss to Oakland in the NCAA Tournament

Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 80-76 loss to Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

1. A quick Kentucky NCAA exit isn’t a shock anymore

Two years ago, when No. 2 seed Kentucky lost to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament it was shocking. A No. 2 seed losing to a No. 15. Not just any old No. 2 seed? But Kentucky. Winners of eight national titles. The “Greatest Tradition in the History of College Basketball.” To Saint Peter’s. The Peacocks.

When Kentucky lost to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in a first-round South Region game at PPG Paints Arena, it was surprising but not shocking. After all, we had witnessed this horror movie before. When something happens once it can be considered a fluke. But twice? Twice is a pattern.

And there is a pattern to Kentucky’s now three consecutive first-weekend exits. In the 2022 loss to Saint Peter’s, the Cats were 4-for-15 from 3-point range. In the 2023 second-round loss to Kansas State, the Cats were 4-for-20 from long range. In Thursday’s night loss, Kentucky missed 14 of its first 17 3-point shots and wound up 9-for-23 from behind the arc.

Meanwhile, Oakland’s amazing Jack Gohlke was 10-for-20 from behind the arc on the way to a game-high 32 points. Gohlke made contested 3s, off-balance 3s, hand-in-the-face 3s. The team’s 3-point specialist, who had taken just eight two-point shots out of 337 field-goal attempts on the season, was truly special.

So was Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies deserved to advance to the round of 32. For the second time in three years, Kentucky did not.

2. So much for Kentucky being ‘Built for March’

Down the stretch, Calipari kept repeating that his team was built for March. It could score. It had depth. And during that five-game win streak to end the regular season, the Cats appeared to be playing their best basketball of the season.

There was just one little problem. A big problem. It reared its ugly head in that loss to Texas A&M in Nashville. And it repeated itself against the Golden Grizzlies.

This team just could not defend.

As previously stated, Gohlke was unconscious. A good number of his 3-point bombs were contested. And when UK coach John Calipari went to a box-and-one late in the game, Kentucky appeared to do a better job of cooling Oakland’s No. 3 off.

Bu Kentucky couldn’t stop Gohkle’s teammates when they UK desperately needed stops. Oakland’s Trey Townsend made a key jumper from the left baseline to make it 73-68 with 2:06 left. Later, DQ Cole all but iced the Oakland win with a 3-pointer from the deep left corner to make it 78-74 Horizon League champions with 28 seconds remaining.

Oakland also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds out of 42 opportunities. It did so in key moments, mainly because the Golden Grizzlies were the more aggressive team. They met the moment. Kentucky did not.

Which leads us to No. 3 ...

3. John Calipari tried, but it didn’t work

John Calipari preached that he wanted his team to play loose. He took it bowling. He had it watch a 15-minute highlight video of their season’s accomplishments. He wanted it to shrug off the quarterfinal loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament and be the team he believed it could be in the NCAA Tournament.

For whatever reason, the strategy didn’t work. A 13 1/2-point underdog, Oakland was the team that played free and loose. Kentucky played tight from the opening tip, as if the weight of the world was on its shoulders. And with every Gohlke made 3-pointer, the Cats appeared to grow even tighter.

“I thought we were anxious,” Calipari said.

Reed Sheppard, the national freshman of the year, scored three points. The same player who scored 27 points in UK’s win at then No. 4 Tennessee took just five shots. He made one. He also made a key turnover late, throwing the ball out of bounds with 3:46 left and UK trailing 69-65.

Rob Dillingham, an explosive player on an explosive team, scored 10 points. He was 2-for-9 from the floor, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range.

D.J. Wagner was 0-for-5 from the floor. Justin Edwards ended up 4-for-9 but missed a wide-open dunk. Zvonimir Ivisic took one shot in 13 minutes.

“They’re freshmen,” Calipari said.

In fact, Kentucky’s two best players were its veterans. Antonio Reeves kept the Cats in the game with 27 points. He was terrific, making 11 of his 18 shots, including 5 of 9 from long range. Tre Mitchell returned to form with 14 points and 13 rebounds. It wasn’t enough.

So now we’re in for a long, hard summer with lots of unanswered questions about both the head coach and his program.

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