March Madness: Reranking the teams remaining in the Sweet 16

SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 18: A general view of the Clemson Tigers coming together en route to their 84-53 against the Auburn Tigers during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 18, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTE, NC – MARCH 18: Sneed /

16. Kansas State Wildcats

First weekend results: Wins over Creighton (69-59) and UMBC (50-43)

What makes the Wildcats dangerous?

Kansas State needs to return to their level of play in the first round. They absolutely dominated Creighton in the opening round and that was one of their best games of the season. The key for the Wildcats will be Dean Wade if they want to make a deep run. Wade can be the difference-maker for Bruce Weber’s team but he needs to return to full health before their matchup with Kentucky.

What could be their downfall?

When a No. 9 seed makes the Sweet 16, it usually means they pulled off a miraculous upset over a No. 1 seed. However, that was not the case for Kansas State. Instead of facing the top overall seed in the tournament in Virginia, the Wildcats faced a No. 16 seed in UMBC. They took care of the Retrievers but it was far from easy. For an offense-minded team like Kansas State, posting only 50 points against UMBC is not a good sign. The Wildcats get Kentucky next and they are going to need an improvement in play across the board to get the victory.

Next: 15. Syracuse

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