Big 12 Basketball: Way-too-early preseason power rankings for 2019-20

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Kyler Edwards #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts after his teams 85-77 loss to the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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MANHATTAN, KS – DECEMBER 15: Kamau Stokes #3 of the Kansas State Wildcats reacts after hitting a three point shot against the Georgia State Panthers during the second half on December 15, 2018 at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

4. Kansas State Wildcats

Nobody’s season ended worse in the Big 12 than the Kansas State Wildcats, as they were upset by 13-seed UC-Irvine in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

While they were without star forward Dean Wade, that loss was a brutal end to the careers of Wade and Barry Brown, two of the better players in K-State history.

Kansas State will return some talent amidst the two big losses, as Cartier Diarra, Makol Mawien, Mike McGuirl, and Xavier Sneed will all return to Manhattan.

As for recruiting, Bruce Webber will bring in a decent young class, as four-star guard DaJuan Gordon is the centerpiece. Past Gordon is a pair of three stars in Montavious Murphy and Goodnews Kpegeol.

Kansas State will be a good team next season despite losing Wade and Brown, but their ability to score will be the main concern. Wade and Brown were the primary shot-makers for the Wildcats, and they will need to find a way to fill such a massive void.

However, if Diarra and Sneed can emerge as serious scorers, and Gordon can step into a big role as a freshman, we might just have a dangerous squad down in Manhattan. The mix of experience and potential is desirable, and if everything meshes well, Kansas State will be a legit top-25 team.

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