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NCAA Basketball: Virginia as top seed, Indiana on the bubble and more weekly takeaways

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 02: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers points out a matchup in the first half during a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at John Paul Jones Arena on March 2, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 02: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers points out a matchup in the first half during a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at John Paul Jones Arena on March 2, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
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BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – JANUARY 25: Archie Miller the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers gives instructions to his team against the Michigan Wolverines at Assembly Hall on January 25, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – JANUARY 25: Archie Miller the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers gives instructions to his team against the Michigan Wolverines at Assembly Hall on January 25, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

It’s March, and we’re looking forward to the NCAA Tournament in this week’s NCAA Basketball Rauf Report. Who will be No. 1 and which surprise bubble teams could make it?

March is finally here, meaning the NCAA Basketball season is now taking center stage in the national sports conversation.

This season has seen more than its fair share of twists and turns, and that unpredictability will only make this month more exciting. Conference tournaments get underway this week and, with what could be a historically soft bubble, there figures to be plenty of movement as to who makes the NCAA Tournament and who doesn’t.

Several bubble teams improved their chances with big-time wins this week, but the biggest game was between two top teams in Tennessee and Kentucky.

The Vols had been somewhat reeling of late, losing two of their previous four contests going into the rematch against the Wildcats, who had been on a tear. It was billed as a heavyweight bout of the highest order, but the result was far from it.

Tennessee’s blowout win re-asserts the Vols as a team that belongs in the top-tier in the sport. It also avenged their first loss to Kentucky, which can now be viewed as a simple blip on the radar rather than something super alarming.

The Wildcats were playing without star big man Reid Travis and that certainly played a factor in their defeat, but they were completely out of whack offensively. It was somewhat surprising given the level Kentucky had been playing at over the past month and a half and, given who they were missing, I’m not concerned. If anything, John Calipari will use this as a motivational tactic for his guys.

What else did we learn over the past few days? Here are my biggest takeaways from the week that was in this new Rauf Report.