With most teams heading to the playoffs, the Xcellent 25 has already started to shift.
At 36-0, No. 3 Duncanville still has some work to do in order to move into the top spot of the Xcellent 25 rankings.
Photo by Alik McIntosh
In Indiana, the two best teams (most likely) meet in the first round of regionals. In Ohio, No. 8 Centerville's first two games will be against opponents who have combined for three wins. And in Oregon, the playoffs are still a week or more away.
In short, the playing field isn't all that level right now, with some teams gearing up to face the biggest challenges of the season, and others trying to stay awake until they play a noteworthy opponent.
Still, there will be upsets, and we're going to see more teams (like Shabazz of New Jersey) suddenly disappear from the Xcellent 25 after surprising losses.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings Presented by the Army National Guard
1. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 25-0The Monarchs begin the convoluted California playoffs against Wilson of Long Beach Saturday, but shouldn't be challenged until Feb. 23, when 21-4 Centennial of Corona is the likely opponent.
2. (2) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 26-0Riverdale had no problem with No. 21 Blackman in a league game last week, winning 72-43, but could face the Blaze again Monday in the state playoffs — and perhaps even after that.
3. (3) Duncanville (Texas) 36-0Duncanville moves into the second round and gets no breathers, drawing Bell, which is 25-3. Next up will likely be Cedar Hill, a team the Panthers have beaten twice already, by an average margin of 28.5 points.
4. (4) Windward (Los Angeles) 25-0Before Windward can get a shot at No. 1 Mater Dei, a Division I team, it first must win the Southern Section Division IV playoffs. Don't expect much of a challenge this week, though.
5. (5) Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.) 29-0Marion County played two teams with a combined six losses over the weekend and won by 17 and 27. And then handled Mercy, 64-46, Tuesday.{PAGEBREAK}
Taylor Ross and 34-0 Pflugerville moved up two spots to No. 6 in this week's rankings.
Photo by Jamie Harms
Pflugerville will need to win six games to reach the 5A finals and maybe have a shot at No. 3 Duncanville — but looking ahead cost the Panthers last year and, even at their best, it's not an easy road to the finals.
7. (7) St. Mary's (Phoenix) 25-1Westview was 32-0 going into Saturday's game, which made it seem like it might be close. Final: St. Mary's 70, Westview 42. The Knights could meet Westview again, or Pinnacle, but they've already beaten both handily.
8. (9) Centerville (Ohio) 21-1Centerville's first playoff game is against 2-16 West Carrollton. If the Elks somehow muddle through, they get Springfield, which drew a first-round bye — despite a 1-17 record.
9. (10) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 23-1Round three of the North Gwinnett-Norcross battle will be Saturday, barring an upset of epic proportions. The teams have split so far, with Norcross winning the last game by 17 after losing the first one by 15.
10. (11) Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio) 20-1For no apparent reason, Fairmont gets 12 days off to prepare for the winner of a first-round playoff game — and since each team has only seven wins so far, it won't be much of a test.{PAGEBREAK}
Asha Thomas and Bishop O'Dowd moved up to No. 13 after a big win over previous No. 20 St. Mary's of Stockton.
File photo by James Conrad
After disposing of one frontier hero by a mere 73 points (that would be Davy Crockett), up next is Daniel Boone. Science will prevail over woodcraft.
12. (13) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 22-3Good Counsel overwhelmed No. XX Paul VI Friday, winning by 19 in a game that was expected to be decided at the buzzer. Sunday's game against Nazareth was derailed by Nemo, so it's smooth sailing until the playoffs.
13. (19) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) 21-3The game with No. 25 St. Mary's of Stockton was billed as a battle of near-equals — but O'Dowd shredded the Rams' press, led 32-7 and coasted to an easy win. The two could meet again in postseason, though.
14. (14) St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 25-1The Cadets edged No. 24 Paul VI by one in overtime the first time around, but Friday's rematch is at home. And don't be surprised if the teams meet again ...
15. (17) Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) 19-1After beating archrival Highlands Ranch by 17 last week, Regis Jesuit relaxed a little — and fell behind Rock Canyon 18-7 after one quarter. But Regis bounced back to win 58-55 and preserve its place in the Xcellent 25.{PAGEBREAK}
16. (16) Shades Valley (Birmingham, Ala.) 29-1The Mounties open the playoffs against 21-loss Hewitt-Trussville, but there are four teams in the sub-regional that have won more than 20, so it won't be that easy a ride.
17. (18) Columbus North (Columbus, Ind.) 25-0Exhibit A for seeding state tournaments by achievement rather than geography is Indiana: There are two unbeaten teams in 4A, Columbus North and Bedford North Lawrence, and they play in the first round Saturday.
18. (24) New Hope Christian Academy (Thomasville, N.C.) 25-1The Phoenix will travel to Washington D.C. over the President's Day weekend, but unfortunately won't play any of the DMV heavyweights. Quest Preperatory out of Las Vegas isn't bad, though.
19. (25) Mead (Spokane, Wash.) 20-1The Panthers had to play Spokane power Gonzaga Prep twice in three days — but after winning by four the first time, they rolled to a 13-point victory the next time out.
20. (NR) Twinsburg (Ohio) 21-0Despite not having a particularly adventurous schedule, Twinsburg moves into the Xcellent 25 on the basis of wins over two strong Ohio teams — Reynoldsburg and Hathaway Brown — and high regard from in-state sources. If the Tigers win the state title, that low-key preseason won't count against them any more.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 21 Blackman has some of the toughest competition in the country in its own backyard.
File photo by John Pratt
The only two losses are to No. 2 Riverdale, but for the Blaze to get another shot at Riverdale, they have to get past Oakland, a team that was ranked most of the year, and was within eight points of Blackman on Feb. 1.
22. (22) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 19-3Oregon starts its postseason later than most, so Central Catholic has two more ho-hum games before things get serious.
23. (23) Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis) 24-0Incarnate Word will have had 10 days off when it tips off against Cor Jesu next week, but it's unlikely the layoff will derail the Red Knights' express.
24. (15) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 26-2The one-point overtime loss to St. John's was understandable, but getting blown out by Good Counsel was a surprise. Redemption could be at hand Friday with a visit to No. 14 St. John's.
25. (20) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) 25-2Won-loss records don't really mean that much. McNair had three losses and lost to St. Mary's 95-57; No. 13 Bishop O'Dowd had three losses and beat the Rams 80-59.
Dropped out: No. 6 Shabazz
