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It was a long night for the No. 3 seeded Kentucky Wildcats as they lost 80-76 against the 14th-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday.
Despite being a much higher seed, Kentucky could not get their offense going, shooting just 8-24 from the 3-point line. On the other hand, Oakland was firing on all cylinders, knocking down nearly half of their 30 3-point attempts, which ultimately proved to be the reason for the upset.
The situation was bad right from the jump. With barely five minutes left in the first half, Kentucky forgot the number of free throws Oakland was attempting, knocking the ball off the court after the ensuing free throw, giving the Golden Grizzlies the ball back.
Kentucky fans weren't forgiving of their team for their poor play. One fan went on a lengthy rant against the Wildcats, saying:
"Kentucky is playing scared to death! Missing layups, missing free throws, biting on shot fakes, turning down open looks. The Cats are wound so tight right now with nerves."
In a close game, the 11-to-7 turnover differential in favor of Oakland became the deciding factor as both teams finished with identical numbers across the board. Kentucky, boasting eight freshmen, was too prone to losing plays, giving up valuable possessions.
Most fans were baffled by what they were seeing.
"No excuse for that."
Some fans couldn't stand their team and their demeanor, as the shenanigans signaled the long night to come for the Wildcats.
"Most embarrassing play I've seen as a fan and I saw us purposely swat a free throw once," a fan wrote.
One fan, in particular, was high on the sarcasm, fed up with his team's performance. He went into first-person as a member of Oakland to make his point.
The Editor-in-chief for Kentucky Sports Radio, Tyler Thompson, however, encapsulated what everyone was watching. More than the gaffe itself, the fear it induced in Kentucky fans would become true as the game ended.
Friendly fire from coaches John Calipari and Greg Kampe goes real in Oakland-Kentucky upset
The two coaches, John Calipari and Greg Kampe, have been longtime friends, who were discussing the possibility of facing each other a week before it became a reality. In an interview with On3, the two coaches weighed in on the opportunity at hand and what they thought of the other team.
While both sounded confident about their chances, they ended up predicting exactly how the game would go down. Calipari was complimentary of Oakland and their 3-point shooting expertise and the game played out exactly like that.
Jack Gholke was the man of the hour, nailing 10 triples, and finishing with a game-high 32 points off the bench for the Golden Grizzlies. He got additional support from the Horizon League Player of the Year Trey Townsend.
For Kentucky, it was Antonio Reeves who added 27 points but didn't get much support from the rest of his team. Just three other players cracked double digits, reflecting Coach Kampe's sly dig at the Wildcats for not being able to score.
With Kentucky not moving past the Round of 24 in five years, it has been a tough time to be a fan of the Wildcats. Do you think the program can return to its heyday heights? Let us know in the comments below.
