NCAA Basketball: 10 teams that will exceed expectations in 2019-20

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 30: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts against the Purdue Boilermakers during overtime of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Xavier Sneed #20 of the Kansas State Wildcats takes a shot against Elston Jones #50 of the UC Irvine Anteaters in the second half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

Kansas State Wildcats

2018-19 Record: (25-9)

The firepower that the Kansas State has lost from last year’s team will have a huge impact on both the backcourt and the frontcourt. The truth is, the Wildcats have lost their top 3 scorers from last year’s squad. Dean Wade, Barry Brown Jr., and Kamau Stokes were responsible for much of the team’s productivity.

College basketball fans were already given a glimpse of what the absence of Dean Wade can bring. In the 2018 NCAA Tournament when he was out, Kansas State upset Kentucky in the Sweet 16 before falling to Loyola-Chicago in the Elite Eight. In the 2019 NCAA Tournament, they were without Wade once again. That time, they fell in the First Round to UC Irvine.

Another reason lots of analysts are doubting Kansas State is that their recruiting class was not the strongest as compared to the rest of the Big 12. Typically when you lose a lot, a spark can come from incoming freshmen. For the Wildcats, this spark is going to have to come from within.

Losing the three scoring leaders from last year may seem bad, but forwards Xavier Sneed and Makol Mawien, along with Guard, Cartier Diarra, all played very large roles during Kansas State’s NCAA Tournament run to the Elite 8 in 2018. They averaged 10.6, 7.0, and 6.8 ppg, respectively, last year. With this trio still around, they are very experienced and poised to keep Kansas State relevant. I think they will be successful.

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