Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Top 16 reveal, Tennessee’s hidden flaw, and more weekly takeaways

By Brian Rauf

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers high fives head coach Rick Barnes as he checks out of the second half of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers high fives head coach Rick Barnes as he checks out of the second half of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 09: Cam Reddish #2, RJ Barrett #5 and Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils hug in the second half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 09: Cam Reddish #2, RJ Barrett #5 and Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils hug in the second half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

Breaking down the top 16 reveal, the hidden flaw in Tennessee’s resume, a potential firing in the Pac-12, and more takeaways in this week’s Rauf Report.

The NCAA March Madness Bracket Preview (aka the Top 16 Reveal) was the major storyline of another drama-filled week of NCAA Basketball.

For the third straight season, the selection committee released their top 16 overall seeds in early February, giving those teams a firm understanding of where they stand in the committee’s mind. Here were the top four seeds in each region:

There were a number of major takeaways – and a lot of angry fans – as a result of this show, and we’ll discuss all of those below.

As for the on-court play, this week was filled with the upsets and high-profile matchups we’ve come to expect this time of year.

Duke and Virginia highlighted the weekend, and the Blue Devils flexed their muscle by winning by 10 to sweep the regular season series between the two. Kentucky and North Carolina continued their recent surges with wins over Mississippi State and Miami, respectively, while Michigan avenged their first loss to the season with a 61-52 win over Wisconsin.

Illinois’ victory over Michigan State was the biggest upset of the week as the loss was Sparty’s third in a row. St. John’s also dropped Marquette to put themselves firmly back in the NCAA Tournament field.

Who currently leads that projected field? Let’s get into that Top 16 Reveal.

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