This is the fourth time that Kentucky has earned a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the first time since 1999. That year, Kentucky played New Mexico State in the first round, Kansas in the second round and Miami (Ohio) in the Sweet 16 before losing to Michigan State in the Elite Eight in St. Louis, Missouri. As a 3 seed, Kentucky has a second-round, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight finish.
Kentucky enters the NCAA Tournament with a 23-9 record, marking the 14th time in head coach John Calipari’s 15 seasons that the Wildcats have won 20 or more games. UK finished tied for second in the Southeastern Conference with a 13-5 mark, earning a 2 seed in the 2024 SEC Tournament. Kentucky is coming off a quarterfinal loss to Texas A&M on Friday.
In addition to most appearances, Kentucky holds the NCAA Tournament records for most games played (184), while it ranks second all-time in NCAA Tournament wins with 130. The Cats own a 130-54 all-time record in NCAA action, with their .707 winning percentage ranking fourth-best in NCAA history (min. 20 games).
Looking ahead to Thursday's matchup, Kentucky is 49-11 in NCAA Tournament openers and has won 26 of its last 28 opening-round games.
Kentucky is set to play Oakland for the first time in program history although UK is 12-0 all-time vs. teams from the Horizon League. Oakland is coming off a 23-11 regular season, defeating the Nos. 6, 7 and 8 seeds to earn the Horizon League Tournament Championship.
Oakland is averaging 76.4 points per game this season, allowing opponents to score 72.9 points per game. The Grizzlies are shooting 45 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3 on the season. Oakland has a +1.6 rebounding margin and +0.1 turnover margin. Senior forward Terry Townsend leads the team this season averaging 16.8 points per game with 7.8 rebounds per game and a team-best 106 assists. Graduate student guard Blake Lampman is earning 13.2 points per game and 30 steals, while fellow graduate student guard Jack Gohlke has hit 121 3-pointers this season and is earning 12.2 points per game.
If Kentucky defeats Oakland, the Wildcats will face the winner of No. 6 seed Texas Tech (23-10) and No. 11 seed NC State (22-14) on Saturday. UK leads the all-time series with Texas Tech 5-0 with the two teams yet to meet in NCAA Tournament action. UK and NC State have met four times, with UK holding a 3-1 record in those game. The Wildcats and Wolfpack have also never met in NCAA Tournament play.