GEICO Nationals field gets late addition as state championships wrap up around the nation.
One week of basketball remains before GEICO Nationals takes center stage April 4-6.
The field was announced last week, with some unprecedented circumstances surrounding one of the teams in the event. Due to disagreements within the program, top-ranked McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) dropped out of the field, putting a damper on an event that was set to feature each of the top four teams in the country. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) will replace the Indians.
After the dust settled, the eight-team field will feature first round match-ups of one-seed La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) vs. eight-seed Bishop Gorman, No. 2 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) vs. No. 7 University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) vs. No. 6 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) and fourth-seeded Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. No. 5 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah).
Top 25 squads No. 7 Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.), No. 8 Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), No. 13 South Central (Winterville, N.C.), No. 16 Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.) and No. 17 Southwest Guilford (High Point, N.C.) all wrapped up state title runs, while previous No. 7 Curie (Chicago) and previous No. 23 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) drop out after state tournament defeats.
Only a few states across the nation are wrapping up postseason play, as Top 25 teams No. 14 Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), No. 20 Carmel (Ind.), No. 22 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) and Next 5 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) vie for state titles this week.
Top 25 High School Basketball Rankings
1. (Last week 1) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 32-0
Completed a run to the program's first state title with a 62-54 victory over
the defending state champion Meadowcreek (Norcross). After accepting an invitation to GEICO Nationals, the Indians backed out later in the week due to turmoil behind the scenes that led to
Sharife Cooper and others announcing they would not participate in the national championship event. Season complete.
After wrapping
up the school's first unbeaten regular season, the Lakers were rewarded with the top seed in GEICO Nationals. They face No. 17 Bishop Gorman in the April 4 first-round matchup.
3. (3) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 21-2Enter GEICO Nationals looking
to repeat as champions after winning their record fourth event
title last season. Montverde opens play with a rematch of last year's GEICO Nationals title game, taking on No. 13 University in the first round.
Will look to capture their first win at GEICO Nationals after a 2016-17 first-round upset by seven-seed Greensboro Day. Led by a trio of McDonald's All-Americans, this group has all the talent needed to capture their first GEICO Nationals crown. The Ascenders draw No. 10 Sunrise Christian Academy in the first round.
5. (5) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 32-3
Finished
up back-to-back CIF Open Division state championship runs with a convincing 76-52
state title game victory over Sheldon (Sacramento). The Trailblazers
have been impressive all season long, with their only in-state loss
coming to Rancho Christian (Temecula) in their regular season finale.
6. (6) Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.), 31-3Won third consecutive AHSAA Class 7A state title after an
impressive regular season that featured quality out-of-state wins over
No. 4 IMG Academy, Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.), Meadowcreek (Norcross,
Ga.), Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.), Olive Branch (Miss.), St. Pius X
Catholic (Atlanta) and Wilson (Washington, D.C.) among others. Season complete.
7. (10) Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.), 31-3Battled back from multiple double-digit deficits to capture first New Jersey Tournament of Champions title. The Panthers knocked off Bergen Catholic (Oradell) 67-63 in a classic. Ranney has notched signature victories over No. 13 South Central, Federal Way (Wash.), Roselle Catholic (Roselle) (twice), Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone) and Wildwood Catholic (Wildwood) along with their pair of wins over Bergen Catholic. Season complete.
8. (8) Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), 26-1Finished an incredible year with a dominant 67-52 victory over Washington (Milwaukee) to capture the WIAA Division 2 state championship. The Knights finish the year 25-0 vs. in-state opponents, their lone loss coming Dec. 9 in their fifth game of the season against Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.). Season complete.
9. (9) Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), 26-3
Received an invitation to their third GEICO Nationals in the last four
seasons after an impressive regular season run that includes wins over No. 10 Sunrise Christian, Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) and Meadowcreek. The Tigers will look for their first win at the event, with a favorable first-round matchup against No. 16 Oak Hill Academy.
10. (11) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 22-5Received their first invitation to GEICO Nationals where they will take on No. 3 IMG Academy in the first round. Although
the Buffaloes have five losses on the season, wins
over No. 12 University, No. 23 Duncanville, Guyer (Denton, Texas) and Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) bolster a strong resume.
11. (12) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 33-5
After a tough stretch that saw them lose two of three, the Stags finished the season strong —
winning the Maryland Private School state title and Alhambra Catholic
Invitational tournament. DeMatha also captured the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular season title, finishing 18-2 in WCAC play. Season complete.
12. (13) University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 27-4
Won back-to-back FHSAA Class 5A state titles with a dominant title
game win over
Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) 72-46. The Sharks return to GEICO
Nationals with a stiff first round test, taking on the defending event
champion, No. 2 Montverde Academy in a rematch of last year's
championship game.
The
Falcons captured their first state title in impressive fashion, setting the record for the largest margin of victory in the history of the NCHSAA Class 4A state championship game
— knocking off West Charlotte (Charlotte) 72-46. South Central finished 30-0 against North Carolina opponents, with their lone loss coming against No. 7 Ranney in the John Wall Invitational championship game. Season complete.
14. (14) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 27-0Defending OHSAA Division I state champions extended winning streak to 47 games last week with a 59-41 win over Centerville in the regional finals. The Fighting Crusaders take on St. Edward (Lakewood) on Friday, with a trip to Saturday's state championship game on the line.
15. (15) Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), 26-3
Jovan Blacksher and
Jaelen House combined to go 105-26 with four state championships over their four-year career at Shadow
Mountain. The Matadors were not invited to GEICO Nationals this year after receiving an invitation to the Big Apple in each of the past two seasons. Season complete.
16. (NR) Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.), 34-4
Capped back-to-back IHSA Class 4A state title runs with a dominant 70-48 semifinal win over previous No. 7 Curie (Chicago), before battling back to take down Evanston 71-59 in the championship game. The Maroons possess quality out-of-state wins over Rayville (La.), Callaway (Miss.), Madisonville-North Hopkins (Madisonville, Ky.), Rainier Beach (Seattle), Springfield Catholic (Springfield, Mo.) and Vashon (St. Louis) among others. Season complete.
17. (19) Southwest Guilford (High Point, N.C.), 32-0
Put a stamp on its unbeaten season with second state championship
in the last three years, taking down Walter M. Williams (Burlington)
67-60 in the title game. The Cowboys outscored opponents by more than
30 points per game this season. The signature win coming in a
30-point shellacking of two-time defending state champion Cox Mill
(Concord). Season complete
18. (17) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 30-4After
hitting the 30-win mark for the eighth consecutive
season, the Warriors return to the Big Apple for their 10th appearance in GEICO Nationals, tying the record for most appearances. Oak Hill opens with a tough first-round matchup, taking on No. 9 Wasatch Academy on April 4.
Completed
the run to an eighth
consecutive Nevada state championship, defeating Clark (Las Vegas)
68-60. Despite not initially receiving an invite to GEICO Nationals, the Gaels replace McEachern after the top-ranked Indians dropped out last week. Bishop Gorman draws top-seeded La Lumiere in the opener.
20. (20) Carmel (Ind.), 25-1
Dominated its IHSAA Class 4A state semifinal showdown with Penn (Mishawaka), picking up an easy 71-42 victory to advance back to the title game for the second consecutive season. The Greyhounds look to complete their quest for redemption Saturday, taking on Ben Davis (Indianapolis) in the IHSAA Class 4A state title contest.
21. (21) Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), 25-2
Captured
back-to-back WIAA 4A state championships, knocking off previously
ranked Federal Way 61-53 in the semifinals, the Bullpups' biggest win
of the season. Gonzaga was led by Gonzaga commit
Anton Watson, who was recently named Seattle Times Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball in the Evergreen State.
22. (22) Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), 23-2
After
a disappointing finish to last season, the Crusaders hope to capture
the New York state federation Tournament of Champions entering
postseason play as favorites to capture their first title since 2012. The Crusaders draw South Shore (Brooklyn) in their first-round showdown on Friday with an opportunity to advance to the championship game the following day.
23. (24) Duncanville (Texas), 32-7Finished
the season on a 25-game winning streak, overcoming massive in-state challenges against DeSoto, Trinity (Euless), Guyer (Denton), North Shore (Houston) and Klein Forest (Houston) in the final five games of their UIL Class 6A state title run. Season complete.
25. (NR) Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas), 38-2
Jump back into the national rankings for the first time since December after two teams fall out of the Top 25 ahead of them. The Wolves ended the year on a 19 game-winning streak, capturing their second UIL Class 5A state title in the last three years after avenging an earlier loss to Wagner (San Antonio) 77-64 in the state title game.
Dropped out: No. 7 Curie (Chicago), No. 23 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia)
Ranney players hoist the trophy after winning the New Jersey Tournament of Champions.
Photo by John Jones
