NCAA Tournament 2018 Sweet 16: 5 most likely national title contenders

You could say I’m not the biggest believer in Kansas at this point, but with each win, they’re proving more worthy of a “contender” title.

Kansas beat Penn in the first round after trailing by double-digits in the first half and then followed that up with a victory over eighth-seeded Seton Hall. Neither win was overly impressive, so that’s why one of just two remaining No. 1 seeds is this low on a list of top national title contenders.

The Jayhawks will see a suddenly red-hot Clemson team in the Sweet 16 and that will be their toughest test yet. Clemson is coming off an absolute thrashing of No. 4 Auburn in the second round and that’s after beating a tough New Mexico State team in round one.

The lack of depth on this team is the major difference between this year’s Kansas squad and last year’s. There are just seven players who Bill Self plays a decent amount, led by Devonte’ Graham who averages over 17 points per game. This team surprisingly scores major points and shoots nearly 50 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from 3-point land. That alone makes the Jayhawks dangerous.