March Madness 2019: 10 teams with the toughest path to the Final Four

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: Head coach Steve Wojciechowski of the Marquette Golden Eagles discusses a call with a referee in the first half against the Seton Hall Pirates during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 16: Kansas Jayhawks guard Devon Dotson (11) gets a layup in the second half of the championship game of the Big 12 tournament between the Iowa State Cyclones and Kansas Jayhawks on March 16, 2019 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

8. Kansas

For the first time in a long time, the Kansas Jayhawks didn’t claim either the Big 12’s regular season title or conference tournament crown. As a result, the Jayhawks were handed a no. 4 seed by the committee, and their road to Minneapolis is fraught with peril.

After a first round matchup with Northeastern, the Jayhawks could draw the winner of the 5-12 matchup between Auburn and New Mexico State. New Mexico State is one of the nation’s most potent mid-majors, racking up 30 wins during the season, and Auburn just demolished Tennessee to claim the SEC Tournament title.

If Kansas survives that game, they would face off with a North Carolina team that may be the best team in the country not named Duke. The Tar Heels could present matchup problems for the thin Jayhawks, who have been decimated by injuries throughout the year.

Last but not least would be an Elite Eight matchup with John Calipari and Kentucky, which already beat Kansas once this season. All of these roadblocks make it very hard to see a path back to the Final Four for the Jayhawks.

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