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Who is Oakland? Here's what to know about Kentucky's first opponent in the NCAA Tournament

The Golden Grizzles are ready to make their case in this year's tournament.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The NCAA Tournament bracket is official and No. 3 seed Kentucky is headed to the South Region.

The Wildcats will take on No. 14 seed Oakland in Pittsburgh during the first round on Thursday with tip-off at 7:15 p.m.

Here’s what we know about the Golden Grizzlies

Oakland is part of the Horizon League. The Golden Grizzlies (23-11) are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 and their fourth overall.

They punched their ticket to the big dance after beating Milwaukee 83-76 in the Horizon League championship. 

Oakland is led by forward Trey Townsend, who was named tournament MVP and scored a career-high 38 points in the championship game.

Townsend leads the team in scoring (16.9 points per game), rebounding (7.8) and assists (3.1). The 6-foot-6 junior shoots 45.7% from the field and 34.6% from the 3-point line.

The team has a balanced scoring attack, with three other players averaging 10 or more points a game. Guard Blake Lampman averages 13.2, guard Jack Gohlke averages 12.2 and forward Chris Conway is at 10.1.

Tournament history

  • No. 16 seed in 2005; beat Alabama A&M 79-69 in a play-in game.
  • No. 14 seed in 2010; lost to No. 3 seed Pittsburgh 89-66 during the first round of the tournament.

Stats

According to their current stats, here’s what Oakland looks like on the hardwood. 

  • 76.4 points per game – 96th in the nation
  • 33.3 rebounds per game – 110th in the nation
  • 45% field goal percentage – 158th in the nation
  • 14.5 assists – 94th in the nation
  • 10.9 turnovers per game

According to KenPom, Oakland's strength of schedule is 198th in the country.

March Madness 2024: Download printable bracket

Oakland University is located in Rochester, Michigan about 27 miles north of Detroit. According to the school, they had nearly 12,719 undergraduate students with an overall enrollment of 15,922 total enrolled students.

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