NCAA Basketball: 10 teams most likely to win their first National Championship in 2019

5. Kansas State Wildcats

Highest program finish: National Championship game in 1951

The Virginia loss may have opened up the Wildcats’ path to the Elite Eight, but their upset win over Kentucky proved it was no fluke. You have to think that if lead scorer Dean Wade was available to play, they might have made the Final Four last year. Essentially everyone returns, with a couple more solid pieces adding to the frontcourt.

Why Kansas State can win it all

A lot of teams can say that they’ll be returning most of their roster from a year ago, but few can say that their best players will be rising seniors. That’s what Wade, Barry Brown and Kamau Stokes will be, forming one of the best trios in the sport. Double-digit scorer Xavier Sneed returns as well, a wing with explosive capabilities on the offensive end.

Why Kansas State can’t win it all

Last season was a coming out party of sorts for both Wade and Brown, who was inconsistent in their first two years with the program. I question whether this is the best they can be or if there’s another gear that the seniors have. This is a “good” team, but these guys will have to take it to another level if they’ll be a title contender. The first step is challenging Kansas for the Big 12 Regular Season title. If they can take the Jayhawks down, then they’ll really be taken seriously in the NCAA Tournament.