Xcellent 25 high school boys basketball rankings

While much of the country has been hard at work in practice, the nation's No. 1 team has already survived a daunting opening two weeks of regular season action.

Marcus (Flower Mound), the Lone Star State's defending Class 5A champion, beat two of the top five teams in its classification last week to win the McDonald's Texas Invitational. The Marauders followed with wins at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Duncanville over 4A favorite Yates (Houston) and out-of-state challenger Upper Room Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.), led by five-star future North Carolina State guard Rodney Purvis.

Incredibly, the biggest tests are still ahead as top-ranked academy program Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) stands in the way Saturday. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) and a tough field at the Whataburger Tournament are also lined up in December.

Ten other members of the Xcellent 25 open their season this week, including No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 3 Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) and No. 4 Simeon (Chicago, Ill.).

Those looking for programs like Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and aforementioned Findlay Prep will have to wait until Tuesday, when we debut the Academy Top 10. For more on our decision to roll out separate rankings for traditional high schools (National Federation of State High School Associations-affiliated schools) and independent/academy programs, click here.



Read on for a complete look at this week's national rankings.

Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (8-0)
The Marauders will have their hands full Saturday with Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), who will debut at No. 1 in MaxPreps' Academy Top 10 on Tuesday.

2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (0-0)
Opens season Monday at Diablo Inferno tournament in Mission Viejo.

3. Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) (0-0)
Opens season Tuesday vs. Redan (Stone Mountain).

4. Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (0-0)
Opens season Saturday vs. Hillcrest (Country Club Hills).



5. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 vs. Durango (Las Vegas).

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6. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 16 vs. Fisher Charter (Trenton).

7. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (0-0)
Opens season Saturday vs. Glenelg Country Day (Glenelg).

8. Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) (5-0)
The Lions were impressive over the weekend at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest, hammering perennial Georgia power Wheeler (Marietta) and getting past Fort Bend Travis (Richmond) in overtime. However, an investigation is underway aimed at potential recruiting violations.

9. Columbia (Decatur, Ga.) (4-0)
The Eagles rolled through the field at the Tabernacle Baptist Christian Academy Thanksgiving Basketball Classic over the weekend. The event was played in Freeport, Bahamas. Six-foot-eight senor forward Chris Horton earned MVP honors.

10. Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.) (0-0)
Opens season Friday vs. North (Wichita).

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11. Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) (0-0)
Opens season Monday at Pacific Shores Tournament in Redondo Beach.

12. Westbury Christian (Houston, Texas) (5-0)
The Wildcats are looking like trouble thus far. They blew out Texas 5A contender Seven Lakes (Katy) in their opener Nov. 14 and hammered 4A favorite Yates (Houston) on Friday night, 97-80, behind 24 points from South Alabama commitment Delvin Dickerson. Alabama independent power Central Park Christian (Birmingham) was the victim one night earlier, 97-50.



13. Chester (Pa.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 vs. Coatesville.

14. Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) (0-0)
Opens season Saturday vs. Jefferson (Brooklyn).

15. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) (0-0)
Opens season Saturday vs. Oakland.

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16. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) (0-0)
Opens season Friday vs. Ballou.

17. Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas) (3-1)
Foul trouble plagued Travis in the loss to No. 8 Grace Prep, but the Tigers will be tough to beat with junior twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison on the floor.

18. North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) (0-0)
No D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, no problem for the Panthers as they got past state-ranked Pike (Indianapolis) 88-76 in a high-profile opener Wednesday. Purdue signee Ronnie Johnson scored 24 points in the team's first game without Smith-Rivera, a Georgetown signee who opted to spend his senior season at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

19. Taft (Cincinnati, Ohio) (0-0)
Opens season Friday vs. Aiken (Cincinnati).



20. Neumann & Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 at Gonzaga D.C. Classic.

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21. Milton (Ga.) (2-0)
The new-look Eagles took No. 3 Miller Grove to the wire in a scrimmage and dominated a pair of games over the weekend at the Charlotte Hoops Challenge. Buford and South Gwinnett (Snellville) are on the slate this week.

22. Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.) (5-0)
The Jaguars showed they have a whole lot more in the arsenal than 6-foot-9 junior forward Johnathan Williams by winning the Rumble on the Ridge in Forrest City, Ark. Tournament MVP JaJuan Johnson, a 6-5 junior guard, pumped in 24 points in the final as Southwind crushed Kentucky signee Archie Goodwin and Sylvan Hills (Sherwood, Ark.) 89-60. The Memphis school knocked off preseason nationally-ranked Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.) in the semifinal, 75-66.

23. Romulus (Mich.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 6 vs. Robichaud (Dearborn Heights).

24. St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) (3-0)
The Purple Knights are out to a 3-0 start after winning their final six contests of the 2010-11 season en route to the Class 5A state title.

25. Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 vs. Cottonwood (Salt Lake City).