Cinderella stories are the best part of March Madness and even though Oakland's Jack Gohlke wasn't willing to wear that glass slipper, the shoe fit.
Gohlke quickly became one of the heroes of the NCAA Tournament after exploding for 32 points on 10 3-pointers to lead No. 14 Oakland to an upset win over No. 3 Kentucky in the Round of 64.
The Golden Grizzlies looked to keep their underdog story alive against No. 11 NC State on Saturday. They were one defensive stop and some free throws away from an improbable run to the Sweet 16, but the Wolfpack wouldn't go down easy, forcing overtime after a late second-half push.
NC State kept its momentum rolling, shutting down Gohlke and Oakland in the extra period to come away with a 79-73 win. The Wolfpack made Gohlke work for every single shot attempt, finishing with 22 points but on inefficient 6-of-17 shooting from 3-point range.
The result ended a flash-in-the-pan moment for a March Madness breakout star, as Gohlke's college career came to a close with the loss.
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After the game, Gohlke delivered a heartbreaking answer when asked about Oakland's season coming to an end.
"We really wanted to win today. I wanted to go to Dallas [for the Sweet 16] really bad. All the guys wanted to go to Dallas really bad," Gohlke began.
"But I told them in the locker room, the thing I wanted the most, really, was to see everyone at practice on Monday. That's the thing I'm gonna miss the most, is just seeing my guys every single day."
“The thing I wanted the most really was to see everyone at practice on Monday"
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2024
All the feels from Jack Gohlke ❤️ pic.twitter.com/h5OlmOHb9c
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Gohlke made sure to soak up every last minute of his moment, staying after the game to take pictures and sign autographs for fans.
Jack Gohlke stayed after Oakland’s loss to sign autographs for fans ♥️
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 24, 2024
🎥: @MarchMadnessMBB
pic.twitter.com/aF19VBQ42s
His March Madness run may be over, but the fifth-year senior left an everlasting imprint as an unexpected NCAA Tournament hero in just two games.