Oakland doesn't view itself as a Cinderella: "If we win a couple of games, it's not going to be surprising to us."

There have only been 22 instances of 14 seeds pulling off first-round upsets over 3 seeds, 13 coming before the turn of the century. And of the nine remaining, five of them came in a stretch between 2013-16, the most recent being Abilene Christian’s 53-52 upset over Texas in 2021.

Point being, they’re rare. And Oakland knows those odds going in, certainly against a blue blood in Kentucky that has looked like the best team in college basketball at various points this season. There is a lot to love about the high-octane Cats, as dangerous they come on the offensive end of the floor,

“We’ve been scouting them the last couple days, but I’ve watched them throughout the season. It’s a great team, fun team to watch,” Oakland star Trey Townsend said.

“For our program, this is huge,” Chris Conway added. “Obviously, Kentucky is one of the biggest programs in the country. … They’re a great team with a lot of talent.”

But the Golden Grizzlies aren’t here for a participation trophy. You already know what their head coach thinks about the matchup, saying “we have a chance” due to the Wildcats’ apparent inability to score in the post — that one pissed Tre Mitchell off. Oakland is responding to that confidence, though, a general consensus in the locker room that the Horizon League champion is in prime position to pull off the upset.

First, the defense of their coach’s comments, doubling down on having a real chance in this one.

“(He’s) excited for us to go up against a name like Kentucky, a blue-blood, play against Coach Cal and NBA-level guys,” senior guard Jack Gohlke said. “I don’t think he was talking about specific play styles. I think we’ve got a good shot, but it’s more being able to play on CBS, prime time, all that good stuff. How you want to play basketball is on those stages.

Then, the general idea that March is all about these moments and no one is immune to falling early.

“This time of year, you can never count out any upset at any level. It’s March, this is win or go home,” Townsend said. “Everyone is playing at the best capability they can. We’re a tough team to prep for, this group of guys loves each other so much. We know if we work harder than anyone, we can go as far as we want. That’s how we got here. We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, go out there and do our best.”

“If we go out there and play our best game, everyone will leave knowing who we are. That’s huge,” Conway added.

Like Kampe, they see personnel advantages, as well. They’re not The Little Engine That Could, they won their league for a reason. And they’re anchored by the Horizon Player of the Year with two absolute snipers next to him and a solid all-around forward to complement the rest.

Kentucky leads the nation in three-point percentage, but Oakland believes it’s got the upper hand in that category.

“Tremendous guard play, we’re going to try to keep them off the glass. But at the end of the day, we’ve just got to run them off the three-point line,” said Gohlke, who leads the NCAA Tournament in made threes on the year. “They’ve got the best three-point percentage in the country. We think we shoot it better than they do, but they’re going to light it up if we don’t guard the three-point line. We’ve just got to go out there and force tough twos.

“They do a really good job protecting the rim, we watched the film on that with their size and how that goes. We think if we execute our actions, set good screens, use the shot clock, we’ll be able to get good looks. That’s how we’ve got to compete in the game.”

They believe experience will play a factor, as well, Kentucky one of the youngest teams in college basketball and Oakland veteran-led. They’ve been around the block while the Wildcats are mostly brand new to this experience.

“They’re a younger team overall and we’re an older team. Some of that experience may help us, especially in crunch time if we’re able to keep it close,” Conway said. “We’ve been in a lot of close games, so we know what to do in those situations.”

“We’re ready for the experience,” Gohlke added. “We’ve played in massive arenas and sold-out crowds. We’re going to be out there ready to go, have some fun.”

And then there’s the defense, an area of concern for Kentucky all season. The Golden Grizzlies have noticed and feel there’s an advantage to be had there.

“You should see (Kampe’s) play sheet, there are 90-plus plays on there,” Townsend said. “With this short of time, to prepare for a team like us, you’re only going to be able to know a handful of plays. We’ll be able to keep cycling through stuff and run those plays, exploit some of the defensive problems they may have.”

“Kampe just prepares us for any defense we’re going to see. I think that’s a great thing,” Gohlke added. “What’s kept him around so long is how he’s able to prepare and adapt to any team you see. We’re going to go in, see what they give us defensively.”

Oakland doesn’t want to be viewed as a Cinderella story, because there’s an internal expectation to win inside that locker room. The college basketball world may be surprised if they pull off the upset over Kentucky and make a run, but they certainly won’t be.

“You always see the Cinderella stories, it’s super exciting. If you can make that type of run and make your career last just a little bit longer, that’s the ultimate goal,” Gohlke said. “With the guys in this locker room, we have confidence we’re not even necessarily a Cinderella.

“We’re the underdog against Kentucky, but I think if we win a couple of games, it’s not going to be surprising to us.”

The Wildcats will certainly have something to say about that.