PITTSBURGH — Forty-eight hours earlier than the Oakland Golden Grizzlies turned America’s Cinderella staff, Greg Kampe mentioned his program was taking part in with home cash within the NCAA match, it doesn’t matter what its keep within the postseason appeared like.
Nicely, that was earlier than the 14-seed Golden Grizzlies knocked off 3-seed Kentucky at PPG Paints Enviornment, 80-76, behind a efficiency for the ages from graduate switch Jack Gohlke, who scored a career-high 32 factors and made 10 3-pointers (one shy of the match file) in a March Insanity upset that will not quickly be forgotten.
Now, David has already slayed Goliath, and the Golden Grizzlies have the assist of the nation behind them, to the purpose their college web site crashed on Thursday night and there have been $8,000 in merchandise purchases from Louisville supporters alone.
Even after the primary a part of the dream truly occurred, OU does not really feel like a staff on a fairy-tale experience, however a cohesive group probably initially of one thing much more particular. It can discover out when it ideas off Saturday’s Spherical of 32 recreation in opposition to N.C. State.
As Kampe has tried to organize, he has been busy. Very busy, responding to greater than 1,000 messages and doing dozens of interviews within the hours between the sport and his subsequent NCAA-scheduled availability.
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There is no relaxation for the weary.
“Yeah, I have never been to mattress, I have never slept,” Kampe mentioned. “I acquired a job. That is — I imply that is a very powerful time of the yr on this job, and I am fortunate that — what are there, 32 groups left within the nation doing it? And there is 360 coaches. So 300 coaches aren’t doing it. So I higher do it and I higher do it properly. I owe my gamers that.”
Quick info
Matchup: 14-seed Oakland (24-11) vs. 11-seed North Carolina State (23-14), South area second spherical.
Tipoff: 7:10 p.m. Saturday; PPG Paints Enviornment, Pittsburgh.
TV: TBS.
Line: Wolfpack by 5½.
At stake: Winner advances to Candy 16 in Dallas on Friday vs. winner of Marquette and Colorado.
READ MORE:Oakland and Jack Gohlke are greater than a Cinderella. They signify all of us.
Scouting report
Cole-hearted: Like their coach, the Oakland gamers who met with media oozed confidence on Friday afternoon.
One was, after all, Jack Gohlke, whose title will eternally be synonymous with March. The opposite was senior DQ Cole, somebody whose legend will solely develop for his efficiency in opposition to Kentucky.
Not solely did he rating 12 factors and seize eight rebounds — one in all his offensive boards led to Gohlke’s ultimate 3-pointer and gave OU a five-point lead with lower than 5 minutes to play — however 5 of his factors got here within the ultimate 80 seconds, together with the game-sealing 3 with 29 seconds left.
As the 2 mentioned their preparation for N.C. State, they could not assist however refer time and again to the bond of the staff, which they are saying started with a visit to Europe over the summer time, and solely grew because the weeks went on.
“It is like, I’d say love at first sight,” Cole smiled. “It was like we went to Italy and it was simply — we hit it off from there. All people on the staff beloved one another, and we acquired this saying between the gamers, it is like we’ll die for one another. So it is like something, whether or not it is defensive slides, free throw on the finish of follow, we could must run sprints, no matter it’s, we’re all going arduous and we’re all keen to die for one another.
“And we take that on the court docket, and it reveals.”
Burns-ing down the home: However friendship will not assist this group win the brand new greatest recreation in Oakland historical past. As a substitute, it’ll take one other clear efficiency. The Wolfpack are led by guard DJ Horne (16.9 factors per recreation) who transferred from Arizona State, however arguably their most impactful participant who’s a fan favourite is the opposite DJ; DJ Burns Jr., a 6-foot-10, 275-pound behemoth who averages 12.5 factors and three.9 rebounds per recreation — Gohlke referred to as him “a drive” Friday.
“We clearly gotta restrict his touches,” he mentioned. “Particularly deep within the paint as a result of he will kill us if he catches the ball down there.”
N.C. State additionally has a pair of guards — Jayden Taylor (11.6) and Casey Morsell (11.4) — who’ve averaged double-figures in factors this season. However their first-round recreation in opposition to Texas Tech was a reminder to not overlook about their pair of 6-foot-10 forwards who’re the fifth and sixth choices: Ben Middlebrooks (21 factors in opposition to the Crimson Raiders) and Mohamed Diarra (17 factors and 12 rebounds).
Though Kampe respects the problem they current, he does consider his staff has at the very least one benefit in its distinctive matchup zone.
“If you are going to play Oakland, we have got 77 set performs,” he mentioned. “What number of of these are you going to organize for in in the future? Once more, whenever you play zone, they will solely do a couple of issues, and we have seen all of it. So we predict we all know what they’ll do. It is extra of a personnel scout. All proper, what does this man do? We will not give him this. This man solely goes left. If he goes proper, he is pulling up. If he goes left, he is going all the best way. All these issues, my employees watched all their video games.
“I feel we’re very properly ready, and I feel we’ll be capable to guard them. It may come all the way down to what staff makes pictures and who makes the performs when it counts.”
Males within the center: The gameplan in opposition to Kentucky, the nation’s prime 3-point capturing staff, was to drive them to catch the ball 10-12 ft away and make them take in-between 2s, however do not anticipate OU to permit the Wolfpack to get the ball inside with wherever close to the identical frequency; at the very least, not by design.
So as to earn a win, Trey Townsend, the Horizon League Participant of the Yr (who had 17 factors and 12 rebounds in opposition to Kentucky), will want one other huge recreation, and seniors Chris Conway and Rocket Watts might want to present the identical poise they did Thursday.
Canine-tired: If Oakland has its druthers, it may get right into a monitor meet with the Wolfpack, a staff that would not have made the NCAAs with out making historical past final week by successful 5 video games in 5 days within the ACC match.
Tipoff Saturday will convey seven video games in 12 days. Kampe is relying on that to be an element.
“They needed to play 5 video games in 5 days and switch round three days later and play, and two days after that play once more,” he mentioned. “If we’re good, we will play quick, proper? We need to make them run. That huge dude is huge! Proper? And so they acquired numerous huge dudes. We need to make them run. And sooner or later they’re human, aren’t they? I imply, sooner or later, it is gotta kick in.
“So if we are able to maintain the strain up and we get them to the purpose that their legs are drained, it is arduous to make bounce pictures when your legs are drained, and to beat a zone you gotta make bounce pictures.”
Prediction
Nothing about what Oakland did appeared like an upset vs. Kentucky. It had a historic efficiency from Gohlke, but additionally pressured the Wildcats into the pictures it needed them to take, for probably the most half, and, most significantly, all the time had a solution. This recreation will come all the way down to if Oakland preserving the ball out of the paint, the place N.C. State has a measurement and depth benefit. However as Kampe mentioned, OU’s zone is tough sufficient to organize for in every week, by no means thoughts with lower than 48 hours turnaround. Oakland is 8-1 this season in video games determined by 5 factors or fewer, a quantity that improves as a historic run continues. The decide: Oakland 77, N.C. State 72.