Analysis on the No. 6 Seeds for the NCAA Tournament: BYU, Illinois, Missouri, and Ole Miss

The six seeds appear to be the home of misfit teams.

There are many of strong ones, but BYU, Illinois, Missouri, and Ole Miss could have ranked anywhere from 5 to 7.

Nonetheless, this group has plenty of talent and has the potential to get to the Sweet 16. However, they receive the 11 seeding.

This year, those 11s will be dangerous.

Here’s a short glance at all of the NCAA Tournament’s six seeds, including their strengths, flaws, and key players.

NCAA Tournament No. 6 Seeds: Strengths, Weaknesses & Players to Watch

BYU

It’s a big group of veterans that can score in bunches with lots of threes. There’s too much of a problem on the line, though, to go too far.

Record: 24-9
Strengths: Shooting, Experience
Concerns: Free throws, D from three
Top Player To Know: Richie Saunders, Jr. G
NCAA Tournament Expectations: Elite Eight
CFN Final Top 68 Rank: 19
KenPom Rank: 24
Region: East
First Round Opponent: VCU

Illinois

Wildly inconsistent, Illinois can beat anyone in this thing – but the meltdown is coming. There’s size, talent, and depth to go deep.

Record: 21-12
Strengths: Rebounding, Size
Concerns: Takeaways, Transition points
Top Player To Know: Kasparas Jakucionis, Fr. G
NCAA Tournament Expectations: Elite Eight
CFN Final Top 68 Rank: 18
KenPom Rank: 20
Region: Midwest
First Round Opponent: Xavier

Missouri

It’s a wildly inconsistent team that can shoot the heck out of the ball and is great on the line, but there are way too many lapses.

Record: 22-11
Strengths: Depth, Shooting
Concerns: Rebounding, D from three
Top Player To Know: Mark Michell, Jr. F
NCAA Tournament Expectations: Elite Eight
CFN Final Top 68 Rank: 21
KenPom Rank: 15
Region: West
First Round Opponent: Arkansas

Ole Miss

It’s a different sort of SEC team. It doesn’t like high-scoring games, can’t rebound, and fouls everything, but it finds ways to win.

Record: 22-11
Strengths: Steals, Few turnovers
Concerns: Rebounding, Fouling
Top Player To Know: Sean Pedulla, Sr. G
NCAA Tournament Expectations: Elite Eight
CFN Final Top 68 Rank: 38
KenPom Rank: 25
Region: South
First Round Opponent: North Carolina or San Diego State