Initially, the state of Michigan looked a little lackluster in this year's NCAA Tournament. Michigan had a really rough year, and none of the MAC Michigan teams made the cut. However, two did make the trip - the perennial Michigan State, and the unlikely Oakland University.

Fans of the Spartans know that when it comes to tournament time, Tom Izzo and the crew from East Lansing have a different gear. So it wasn't such a huge surprise that they pulled off their "upset" win against Mississippi State. However, when you look further east in the state to Oakland, that's a school that NOBODY had their eyes on... except the Golden Grizzlies themselves.

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Thursday's open to the NCAA Tournament was FULL of bracket busters and upsets from the get-go. Nearly every round of games during the day had an upset of some kinds, but the team with the biggest "March Memory of a Lifetime," according to the CBS broadcast team, was Oakland University, out of Rochester, Michigan.

Head Coach Greg Kampe has been a staple with the program since 1984, and has built a culture of winning, and poise. In 40 years, Kampe has brought his team to the NCAA Tournament four times as a D-1 team, and yesterday, he scored his first win in the Field of 64 in D-1 school history.

Oakland v Kentucky
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The star of the game, despite overall lackluster shooting from the rest of the team, was Jack Gohlke - the senior who dropped 10 three-pointers, putting 32 total points on the board, willing the 14-seed Golden Grizzlies past the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats 80-76.

Following the game, head coach Kampe said this team now has the "Chance of a Lifetime," and they do not intend to waste it.

"We're gonna celebrate this for about 45 minutes, and then look forward to the next one."

As for the star of the game, Jack Gohlke, he had one message to the rest of the field...

"We're Not a Cinderella" Jack Gohlke

Oakland moves on to face the winner of No. 11 NC State and No. 6 Texas Tech on Saturday.

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Gallery Credit: Yelp

Medieval Castle in Oakland County

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