Jack Gohlke joins ESPN's Pat McAfee after Oakland's historic March Madness win vs. Kentucky
Jack Gohlke etched himself into March Madness royalty Thursday night when he scored 32 points to help lead Oakland basketball to a historic upset over college basketball blue blood Kentucky.
The Grizzlies guard's record-setting night — where he hit the most 3-pointers by a player in an NCAA Tournament game — turned him into a social media and college basketball icon.
Less than 24 hours later and before the Grizzlies prepare for their NCAA Tournament second-round matchup against 11-seed NC State, the Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native made an appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" and spoke about Oakland's historic night — the program's first-ever win in March Madness.
"We just went into it with that mentality that we belong here because we know all the work that we put in all season," Gohlke said of how Oakland was able to pull off the upset. "We know at this stage anything can happen and you guys have seen it every year in March, some crazy things happen. We're just trying to make it to April."
OPINION: Another March Madness disappointment means it's time for Kentucky, John Calipari to part
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
Gohlke put on one of the more impressive performances in an NCAA Tournament in recent history and he did it all while not taking a drive through the lane to the basket. As aforementioned, he took all 20 of his shots of the night from beyond the arc. He scored 30 of his 32 points on 3-pointers, with the other two points coming from the free throw line. Including his stats from Thursday night, Gohlke had attempted 98% of his shots this year from the 3-point line as he has only attempted eight 2-pointers.
He was asked about how he views his role and the makeup of the Oakland as a whole, who were just the 23rd 14-seed to upset a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament, to which he called the Grizzlies a "gritty team."
"We're just a gritty team and we've played a ton of close games this year," Gohlke said. "We've played a ton of close games this year and played in hostile environments everywhere. We just know that we trust in each other and believe in each other to make the big plays. We've done it all year so why not do it in the next game, so I think that is what it boils down to."
Though Oakland has everything in the makings to be called a Cinderella team, following the game Gohlke told CBS Sports' Evan Washburn that the Grizzlies aren't one. He carried that similar mindset on Friday while talking to McAfee about what the 24 hours, and week for that matter, have been like as Oakland has never been in a Division I NCAA Tournament before this year.
"We definitely celebrated a little bit in the locker room (afterward)," Gohlke said. "Right now we're just trying to soak in this run and trying to make it to Dallas for the Sweet 16. That's the biggest thing and once that is over, we will celebrate and enjoy all the history that we are making. But for now, we want another week of practice and this team loves spending time together."
Gohlke did not get away that easily on the McAfee show as one of McAfee's co-hosts asked him about his 2016 Mr. Krabs tweet that resurfaced over the night in addition to how his game vs. Kentucky will be discussed for years to come.
"First off, about the tweet. I was in high school and thought I was growing my Twitter presence. I thought it was a good tweet," Gohlke said laughing.
Oakland, the 14-seed, will take on 11-seed NC State in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, March 23 at 7:10 p.m. ET at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
