Oakland Golden Grizzlies Pull Off Huge Upset Over Kentucky

Well, March Madness is always filled with upsets, and this one is close to home. Michigan's own Oakland Golden Grizzlies have pulled off a huge upset over Kentucky in day one of the NCAA Tournament. In Michigan, we're used to seeing teams in the NCAA Tourney, but this situation is unique.

The 3-point shot was dominant in Thursday's game (March 21), with both Oakland and Kentucky going for threes often. The No. 14 Grizzlies were big underdogs to the No. 3 Wildcats, but at the start of this game, it was obvious that Oakland knew they could overcome the odds.

I turned the game on about halfway through the first half, excited to watch this Oakland team that has hardly ever made the tourney. But, I wasn't expecting an upset. Right away, I noticed they were ahead. They consistently hit threes and just didn't stop. Oakland was on fire and never let up. I've watched Kentucky a bit this season, and I have noticed that they don't seem as strong as past Kentucky teams. But, I sure went with them in my bracket, and as did pretty much everyone. I don't even want to look at my bracket standings. Last I looked, even my parents were beating me.

Huge congratulations to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies for a much-deserved win. What's really fascinating is that I'm watching footage from the Grizzlies in the locker room after the game, and there is no celebrating. They look like they were expecting to win, and now, they're onto the next game. Oakland's coach, Greg Kampe, is in his 40th year with Oakland, making him the longest tenured coach in college basketball ever. What a way to end his career, not that he's retiring, but it's great to see him getting this kind of win late in his career. The team also has associate head coach Jeff Smith and assistant coaches Bobby Naubert and Mychal Covington. Go Spartans, and go Grizzlies.

We're into March, and it's official championship time in the 2024 men's college basketball season. Right now, games are being played that will help determine which teams will make it into the much-coveted NCAA tournament and March Madness. So, which teams should top your bracket?

The No. 1 seeds are no surprise, for the most part. There's no way any other teams will be able to top Purdue, Houston and Connecticut. But, the rest is up for grabs.

Before we get into the rankings, let's learn some fun facts about the NCAA Tournament. The very first March Madness started on March 17, 1939, according to BleacherNation.com. They also note that the first tournament in college basketball history had only eight teams. Oregon won the NCAA Division I Championship that year, with a 46-33 win over Ohio State. As for huge upsets, and I remember this one, during the 2018 NCAA Tournament, UMBC beat No. 1 seed Virginia 74-54. That marked the first time in NCAA history a No. 16 seed beat a number 1.

What are the odds of you getting a perfect bracket? Not good. Not good at all. According to the NCAA, you have a 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (9 quintillion) chance to make a perfect bracket. If you really know nothing about college basketball knowledge, your odds become 1 in 120.2 billion. So, don't bet the house or first born on your bracket. That's so crazy. For years, I was really good at doing brackets and even won in some bracket pools with coworkers and friends. But, then I stopped doing brackets for a few years, because I wanted to enjoy the game. Now, I'm back and ready to do a bracket again this year. My team, the Michigan State Spartans, have not been doing well lately. But, there's time, and hopefully they can turn things around. Fingers crossed.

Let's get into our March Madness 2024 power rankings.

Marquette has performed consistently well all season, and they have been falling around the No. 10 mark when ranked against the other NCAA teams. When their defense is weak, their offense is strong, and you can flip that, too. Now, if they can get both going at once, we'll have something extra special.

I remember the Coach K era of the Duke Blue Devils, so it's definitely not the same watching Duke without him in action. But, they're still a solid team with legacy. They're especially strong this year.

The Creighton Bluejays have some star players in Trey Alexander, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Baylor Scheierman. What's even better is that these players seem to be getting better as the season progresses. That's especially true of the latter.

The Iowa State Cyclones have been strong all season, and they're not letting up now. They also have a star player in Demarion Watson, who kind of broke out of nowhere later in the season.

While the North Carolina Tar Heels aren't quite at the level of Purdue, UConn and Houston, meaning they aren't a No. 1 seed, they're close. They have great stats and when they shine, they really shine. They could surprise everyone in the tourney.

The Tennessee Volunteers are having a great season, and star player Jonas Aidoo is largely to thank. But, Aidoo has fallen a bit short lately. Hopefully he's just resting up for a big tourney season.

The Arizona Wildcats are one of the big teams to beat in 2024. They've been dominating both in offense and defense. There's no question that the Cats should be contenders for the Final Four.

The Houston Cougars will be a No. 1 seed, and they've earned it. They have an incredible record and are very difficult to trip up. Will they go all the way? Time will tell. But, their most recent wins were all close, so there's that.

The UConn Huskies have a solid coach in Dan Hurley, and he's really helped shape this team into champions. The Huskies have a legacy, and he's carrying that forward. They could absolutely go all the way this year.

Okay, so Purdue has some weaknesses. But, I follow the Big Ten closely (since Michigan State is in there), and they just always seem to pull off a win. The Boilermakers could really make this their year. Fletcher Loyer and Zach Edey are some of their stars.