Subscribe
Follow Us
Oakland basketball's Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament lasted for only 48 hours, and it was definitely bittersweet for Jack Gohlke. The March Madness hero shared as much following their spirited performance in a 79-73 overtime loss to NC State in the Round of 32.
Gohlke, who was sensational in their first-round upset of Kentucky, couldn't help but be a bit emotional after the Wolfpack eliminated the Golden Grizzlies from title contention. The 24-year-old senior entered the showdown with high hopes of advancing to the Sweet 16, but unfortunately, they just couldn't overcome an NC State team that was also brimming with confidence after their Texas Tech stunner in the opener.
Speaking to reporters following their , Gohlke was definitely happy to see Oakland make noise and become the talk of the hoop world even just for a day. But at the end, all he wanted was to have another game in the NCAA Tournament and see his teammates extend their dream run. However, it's now all over for them.
“We really wanted to win today. I wanted to go to Dallas really bad. All the guys wanted to go to Dallas really bad, but I told them in the locker room, the thing I wanted the most really was to see everyone at practice on Monday. That's the thing I'm going to miss the most is just seeing my guys every single day,” Gohlke shared.
"The thing I wanted the most was to see everyone at practice on Monday… That’s what I’m going to miss the most. Just seeing my guys every day."
— Jack Gohlke 🙌
(via @MarchMadnessMBB) pic.twitter.com/B5fmDOrf07
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 24, 2024
It's definitely quite disappointing to see Jack Gohlke and Oakland basketball exit in the Round of 32. While them being on the stage was already surprising, many were hoping that they would be able to continue surprising everyone. Gohlke had a performance for the ages on Thursday when he dropped 30 points on Kentucky to steal the win, all while hitting 10 triples for the second-most in NCAA Tournament history–just one shy of the all-time single-game tournament record set by LMU's Jeff Fryer in 1990.
On Saturday against the Wolfpack, Gohlke finished with 22 points and shot 6-of-17 from deep as NC State focused their defense on him. Despite staying in the game for long and forcing OT, however, the Golden Grizzlies just couldn't close it out.
Sure enough, though, as Gohlke looks to take the next step in his career, plenty of eyes will be on him.
Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe reacts to NCAA Tournament exit
For what it's worth, Oakland basketball head coach Greg Kampe had similar thoughts as Jack Gohlke. He shared his joy for being able to handle such a great group of young men, but that is also what makes it more painful: to know that their time together, at least for his players that are graduating and leaving, are over.
“It was just a joy… to know that I’m lucky enough to work with this group of kids. That's probably what hurts the most right now, is that I know that it's over,” Kampe shared, via NCAA March Madness on X.
While it marks the end of Oakland's journey in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, there's no denying that they made quite the mark with just the two games they had. Everyone knows how difficult it is to win in the competition, and so for a 14th seed to take down a no. 3 seed, it absolutely reflects what March Madness is all about.
As for Gohlke, he did say that he's unlikely to become an NBA player. But maybe, just maybe, a door with a pathway to the league will open for him after his memorable display of shooting and tenacity. As fans know, there are teams in the league that value such winning characteristics.
