On March 21, Oakland delivered a stunning upset that ended Kentucky’s season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
This latest disappointment was perceived as a possible final blow for Kentucky head coach John Calipari, who hadn’t advanced the Wildcats past the first weekend of March Madness since 2019. Frustration among Kentucky fans had grown due to Calipari’s recent lack of success in the tournament.
Shortly after, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, along with dinosaur nugget entrepreneur John Tyson, hired Calipari 20 days after his last game at Kentucky to succeed Eric Musselman as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball team.
Calipari’s appointment stirred significant buzz in the sports community, and now, eight months later, the team that triggered these events is set to visit Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies (4-9) will journey over 900 miles to Bud Walton Arena on Monday to face the No. 23 Razorbacks (10-2) in Arkansas’ last non-conference game of the 2024-25 season.
The Golden Grizzlies are far different from the 24-12 team that triumphed over Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament last year. A key change is the absence of sharpshooter Jack Gohlke, whose 32-point game against Kentucky catapulted him to March Madness fame. Gohlke is now playing in the NBA G-League with the Wisconsin Herd.
Currently, forward Allen Mukeba leads Oakland in scoring with 13.1 points per game, but the team’s struggle to find a prolific scorer like Gohlke has been evident in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Their shooting stats reflect this, as the Golden Grizzlies are hitting only 40.9% from the field and a mere 28.5% from three-point range.
These figures likely favor Calipari, whose remarkable tenure at Kentucky was brought to an end by an offensive surge from Oakland just nine months prior.
Arkansas is expected to secure their 11th win of the season without much difficulty, gathering momentum ahead of SEC play. However, for Calipari, this match against a Horizon League team holds extra significance.
The game between Arkansas and Oakland is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Monday and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
