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

By Brian Rauf

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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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

1) Virginia is looking like the No. 1 overall seed for a second straight year

With Kentucky and Duke both sliding due to injuries and Gonzaga having a weaker resume that other potential top seeds because of the conference they play in, Virginia is in prime position to grab the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed for the second straight year.

At 26-2, the Cavaliers continue to roll against anyone not named Duke. They beat two top 20 teams on the road last week and, this week, won their games by 30 and 24 points against Georgia Tech and Pitt, respectively.

I’ve written that Virginia is poised to move past their March woes this year and I believe that to be true. Their defense is dominant again and they’re more explosive than ever offensively thanks to the play of De’Andre Hunter and Braxton Key on the wing.

Do they struggle with elite athleticism? Yes, but not every team is going to have multiple Duke-level athletes. They also struggle against pressure, which I’ve also detailed in earlier Rauf Reports.

But there’s no denying who solid they’ve been all year. We also don’t give this program enough credit for how consistently dominant they’ve been during the regular season. I know a lack of NCAA Tournament success is part of the reason for that, but in a conference dominated by Duke and UNC, Virginia is about to win their fourth conference title in six years. That’s incredible.

I think that tournament success is coming this year. Duke and Kentucky are bigger names and Gonzaga is the No. 1 team in the country, but don’t be surprised when Virginia gets the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed again.

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