NCAA Tournament 2019: Kansas, Wisconsin among biggest losers from 1st weekend
1. Kansas State Wildcats
The Kansas State Wildcats were the first No. 4 seed to fall in the NCAA Tournament. They lost in the first round 70-64 to the UC Irvine Anteaters. Their fate was sealed inevitably when it was announced senior Dean Wade would miss the game with a foot injury.
Both teams entered halftime in a tie but the Anteaters got hot from 3-point land in the second half. They went 6-of-11 from behind the arc behind 15 points from Evan Leonard, who finished with 19 points in the victory.
The Wildcats won a share of the Big 12 Regular Season title alongside the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but they lost in the conference tournament semifinals to the Iowa State Cyclones. Entering the NCAA Tournament there was uncertainty surrounding the status of Wade and in his absence, the end result was a loss.
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Wade is a senior so he’s played his last minutes for the Wildcats. Another player who could be up in the air is junior forward Xavier Sneed. He could test the NBA Draft waters or return for his final year of eligibility at Kansas State.