On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Enaruna Named to NABC District 12 Second Team--csuvikings.com

'Playing Division I in my home state was a dream come true': Catholic Memorial's Rich Byhre will transfer from UWGB--Green Bay Press-Gazette
Noah Reynolds Named NABC All-District First Team--greenbayphoenix.com
Sundance Wicks Named a Finalist for the 2024 Hugh Durham Coach of the Year and the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Awards--greenbayphoenix.com

'The opportunity to play in the Big Dance is everything': UWGB women, Kevin Borseth savor return to March Madness--Green Bay Press-Gazette

Warrick named to NABC All-District Team--nkunorse.com

Q and A with Horizon League Player of the Year Trey Townsend--HoriZone Roundtable
Division I’s longest-tenured coach leads Oakland back to March Madness after 12-year absence--The Associated Press
Tourney Quick Takes: Region-by-Region--Bracketville

SOUTH REGION – Dallas

Best chances for an early-round upset:

Oakland over Kentucky – The risk here is largely due to youth and inexperience versus age and experience. Oakland will try to slow the game down and make it a grinder. If they succeed, then it becomes a quagmire. With the depth of scoring available to UK, it’s a long shot, but we’ve seen stranger things happen.

March Madness 2024 Stat Pack: Analyzing statistical trends for each first-round matchup--Heat Check CBB

South Regional
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Oakland

Oakland and longtime head coach Greg Kampe are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, and they hope that it won’t be short lived. That said, Kentucky has not lost a first-round NCAA Tournament game since doing so as a No. 11 seed in 2008 — before the Calipari era began. For Oakland to snap that streak, it needs to keep up with Kentucky’s offense. Easier said than done, but Oakland does feature a “pick your poison” offense.

Trey Townsend is a star who can command extra attention inside. If Kentucky prioritizes stopping him, then Jack Gohlke and Blake Lampman have quick triggers from beyond the arc and can fill it up in a hurry. If UK has to send extra attention to the shooters, it will be up to Townsend to carry the weight inside. He did precisely that in the Horizon League championship game, exploding for 38 points.

There isn’t necessarily a metric to track for Kentucky in this game. To avoid the upset, the biggest key will be keeping its offense flowing against Oakland’s unique zone defense. Oakland’s D has been most susceptible to opponents who work the ball inside and score at the rim, so that could be the area to watch for the Wildcats. Oakland went just 3-8 when giving up over 54 percent on 2-point attempts

NCAA TOURNAMENT: SOUTH REGION--Staring at the Floorboards