The National Top 20 basketball rankings are shaping up to be a fight to the finish as no team has asserted dominance and distanced themselves from the field.
However, the top seven teams have gained some separation with all eyes turning to potential GEICO Nationals matchups as the calendar churns toward the March announcement.
Barring a collapse, it appears No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy, No. 2 IMG Academy, No. 3 Link Academy, No. 4 Montverde Academy, No. 5 La Lumiere, No. 6 AZ Compass Prep and No. 7 Oak Hill Academy should be locks for GEICO Nationals, while the remaining three spots are still up for grabs.
The Spalding Hoophall Classic provided an excellent glimpse of the nation's top teams as 10 of the top 12 teams in this week's rankings competed over Martin Luther Kings Jr. weekend, with many going head-to-head in Springfield, Mass.
Five-star Baylor signee Keyonte George finished with a team-high 19 points in the Ascenders signature win over No. 4 Montverde Academy.
Photo by Pete Wright
Record: 14-1 | Last week: 1
Escaped with a pair of victories over the weekend, defeating No. 11 Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) 72-68 in overtime behind 27 points and 12 rebounds from five-star Duke signee
Mark Mitchell. Knocked off Wasatch Academy 63-62 with 23 points and eight rebounds from Mitchell.
Record: 13-2 | Last week: 2
Knocked off Montverde Academy 57-53 in the second meeting of the year between the powerhouse programs. The Ascenders also won the first game 65-64 on Dec. 3. Baylor signee
Keyonte George led a balanced scoring effort in the win with 17 points. Houston signee
Jarace Walker added 13 points and seven rebounds while Michigan signee
Jett Howard scored 13 points off the bench.
Record: 24-0 | Last week: 3
The only unbeaten team in the National Top 20 after defeating No. 18 Huntington Prep 78-45 at the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational and No. 9 Prolific Prep 70-64 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. The Lions were led by a balanced effort in their win over Prolific Prep, as Michigan signee
Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, Arkansas signee
Jordan Walsh (15),
Trey Green (15) and LSU signee
Julian Phillips (12).
Record: 13-4 | Last week: 5
Went 2-1 over the weekend with wins over MaxPreps Top 25 No. 11 Camden (N.J.) 52-40 at the Metro Classic and DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 86-65 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. The Eagles fell to IMG Academy for the second time this season. Indiana signee
Jalen Hood-Schifino had impressive performances in both Hoophall outings, averaging 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, nine assists and 3.5 steals.
Record: 12-3 | Last week: 6
Split a pair of showdowns against nationally ranked opponents, losing to No. 7 Oak Hill Academy 66-61 before beating No. 6 AZ Compass Prep 54-52 at the Hoophall. Four-star junior
Aden Holloway was a difference-maker throughout the weekend, scoring 16 points against Oak Hill Academy and contributing 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals against the Dragons.
Record: 19-2 | Last week: 5
Defeated National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Md.) 68-46 before losing a heart-breaker No. 5 La Lumiere 54-52. The Dragons were unable to get a shot off in the final seconds after storming back to cut things to a two-point game. Five-star junior
Mookie Cook had 16 points and six rebounds on 6-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range in the win.
Record: 17-7 | Last week: 8
The Warriors have found their mid-season stride, going 2-0 over the weekend at Hoophall. They defeated No. 5 La Lumiere 66-61 behind a game-high 22 points from four-star senior
Judah Mintz and downed MaxPreps Top 25 No. 16 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 70-56 led by Kentucky signee
Chris Livingston who finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Record: 13-3 | Last week: 7
Fell to MaxPreps Top 25 No. 7 Centerville (Ohio) 62-52 before defeating Jackson (Massilon, Ohio) 80-48 behind 20 points and 14 rebounds from
Jaxon Kohler and 20 points and eight rebounds from
Vincent Iwuchukwu while playing at the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational.
Record: 18-3 | Last week: 9
Though they lost to No. 3 Link Academy 70-64 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, the Crew remain in strong contention for a GEICO Nationals invitation. They take on No. 6 AZ Compass Prep on Saturday at the Crush in the Valley Showcase. Kansas signee
M.J. Rice had a game-high 23 points in the loss, while UCLA signee
Adem Bona chipped in 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks
Record: 14-3 | Last week: 10
Face North Broward Prep River (Coconut, Fla.) on Friday and Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville) at the River City Basketball Classic. The Holy Rams have been on a hiatus since their run to the John Wall Holiday Invitational championship game in December.
Record: 13-4 | Last week: 11
Took top-ranked Sunrise Christian Academy to the wire in a 72-68 overtime loss at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. Senior Illinois signee
Jayden Epps had 26 points and five rebounds on 8-of-20 from the field, while Florida State signee
Patrick Wessler finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in the loss.
Record: 11-8 | Last week: 13
Finished the weekend 1-1, defeating No. 16 Patrick School 65-58 in overtime before losing to No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy 63-62 at Hoophall. Three-star Bowling Green pledge
Willie Lightfoot played at a high level in both games, averaging 13.5 points, seven assists and 3.5 rebounds.
Record: 19-1 | Last week: 12
Hope to pick up quality wins this weekend against No. 16 Patrick School on Friday and MaxPreps Top 25 No. 8 Roselle Catholic on Saturday at the Big North Shootout. COVID-19 protocols have wiped out nearly all of the Bruins reputable opponents this season.
Record: 10-1
| Last week: 14
Returned to the court after missing three weeks because of COVID-19 protocols. Four-star junior
Ty-Laur Johnson exploded for 35 points in the Gray Bees' 75-64 victory over Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.).
Record: 19-3 | Last week: 16
Secured a big SIAA victory over No. 17 West Oaks Academy (Orlando) in a 74-73 overtime thriller led by junior guard
Carlos Cortijo, who finished with 22 points and six assists.
Record: 9-5 | Last week: 17
Suffered an overtime loss against No. 13 Wasatch Academy 65-58 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. The Celtics were led by a game-high 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three assists on 8-of-23 shooting for senior guard
Dionte Johnson.
Record: 9-3 | Last week: 15
Recovered from an overtime loss to No. 15 Central Pointe Christian Academy with an 86-80 road win over SIAA foe Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville). Seniors
R.J. Moore (29) and
Maurice Odum (25) led the scoring efforts in the bounce-back win.
Record: 7-6
| Last week: 18
Split two games at the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational, losing to No. 3 Link Academy 78-45 before knocking off Flyght Academy Prep (Dayton, Ohio) 69-58 behind 21 points and six rebounds from senior
Dok Muordar.
Record: 15-5 | Last week: 20
A balanced effort paced the Lions in their 93-89 victory over No. 20 DME Academy as junior
Moses Horne had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, sophomore
Sammie Yeanay finished with 18 points and 12 rebound and sophomore
Kameren Wright chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds.
Record: 13-5 | Last week: 19
Look to rebound from a loss to No. 19 The Rock, facing Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Baltimore) on Friday and MaxPreps Top 25 No. 21 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) at the Ascender Classic.
Prior to the 2021-22 season, MaxPreps adopted a split approach to
the rankings. The MaxPreps Top 25 is a measure of public and private
schools belonging to recognized governing bodies that compete for state
championships. The National Top 20 encompasses a broad spectrum of
sub-collegiate programs that in most cases are not full members of
state-level governing bodies and do not compete for state championships.
