Kentucky’s no-good day
The first day of the men’s NCAA Tournament featured some juicy results. None were as shocking as No. 3 seed Kentucky’s stunning loss to No. 14 seed Oakland:
The Wildcats probably should’ve won this game, but what can you do when a bench player comes in and hits 10 3-pointers the way Jack Gohlke did? The Division II transfer who “looks like a high school history teacher,” per one teammate, saved the game of his life for the big stage. Hard to beat.
Zoom out, and Kentucky coach John Calipari might actually be in trouble. “Previously unfathomable questions have to be asked,” writes Kyle Tucker. The Wildcats’ last four seasons ended like this: missed NCAA Tournament, first-round exit, second-round exit, first-round exit. That’s not good enough at Kentucky.
Calipari’s buyout is $33 million, which may sound cheap to college football fans, but remains financially onerous. That number drops to $27 million after next season. Hm.
Kentucky wasn’t the only upset yesterday, either:
No. 11 seed Duquesne won the Lame Duck Coach title, beating sixth-seeded BYU to extend coach Keith Dambrot’s career (Dambrot is retiring after the season). Long Beach State coach Dan Monson’s post-firing tenure ended after a loss to No. 2 seed Arizona.
Two other No. 11 seeds — Oregon and NC State — won their games yesterday against South Carolina and Texas Tech, respectively. A Clemson loss to New Mexico today would mean all four No. 6 seeds fell in the first round this year.
