Top 25 high school basketball rankings

The Big East tournament begins Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, but the nation's top college basketball conference may have to take a backseat in the Tri-State area to a high school game.

Should St. Anthony (Jersey City) beat Oratory Prep (Summit) in New Jersey's Non-Public North B semifinals Monday, it would set up a showdown between the nation's top two high school teams Wednesday at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on the campus of Rutgers University.

No. 1 St. Patrick (Elizabeth) vs. No. 2 St. Anthony.

And anytime St. Patrick (26-0) and St. Anthony (27-0) meet, it's kind of a big deal. A really big deal.

The New Jersey juggernauts – separated by less than 15 miles – have combined to win 15 of 22 Tournament of Champions titles in the state since the event was introduced in 1989. That run of success includes eight of the last 10 crowns, a period which has seen both featured in the national rankings routinely.

If the matchup materializes, at least 10 future Division I players will be on the floor – and that's a conservative estimate. When the teams last met in 2008, more than a dozen participants moved on to the Division I level, including Dexter Strickland (North Carolina) and Quintrell Thomas (UNLV) of St. Patrick and Dominic Cheek (Villanova), Jio Fontan (Fordham/USC), Mike Rosario (Rutgers/Florida) and Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas) of St. Anthony.

St. Anthony won that contest 62-54 en route to a 32-0 record and mythical national title.

Then there are the coaches, who won't be adding each other as friends on Facebook anytime soon. St. Anthony's Bob Hurley topped the 1,000-win plateau earlier this season and is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He could go down as the high school game's greatest coach ever. All that's missing for St. Patrick's Kevin Boyle is a national title. His Celtics won the nation's most prestigious tournament – the City of Palms Classic – in December and have won 31 games in a row dating back to last season.

St. Patrick and St. Anthony have owned the top two spots in the Xcellent 25 since Jan. 23. Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.

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

1. (No. 1 last week) St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) (26-0)
After beating Marist (Bayonne) 84-48 Friday night in the Non-Public North B quarterfinals and Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone) 69-41 Sunday in the semis, the Celtics did their part to set up one of the most highly-anticipated games in high school basketball history.

2. (2) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (27-0)
The Friars crushed Morris Catholic (Denville) 95-30 and Hudson Catholic (Jersey City) 68-35 in the early rounds to set up their semifinal with Oratory Prep (Summit).

3. (3) Milton (Ga.) (28-2)
The Eagles are through to Georgia's Class AAAAA final four for the third-straight season after blowing past Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee) and Mill Creek (Hoschton) last week. Tift County (Tifton) will the semifinal opponent Thursday. Since losing to No. 1 St. Patrick Dec. 22, Milton has won every game by 15 points or more.

4. (4) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (36-1)
The Marauders clamped down on defense to survive area powers North Crowley (Fort Worth) and Cedar Hill, securing a spot in the Class 5A state tournament (final four) next week in Austin. Marcus allowed just 81 points (40.5 per game) in the two contests and continued to receive clutch play from junior guards Phil Forte and Marcus Smart.

5. (5) Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.) (28-1)
The Greyhounds are two wins away from back-to-back Group AAA state titles after getting 20 points from All-American candidate Dorian Finney-Smith and beating Annandale 49-43 Saturday night. Highland Springs awaits in semifinal action Wednesday.

6. (6) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (29-1)
Poly captured the Southern Section Division I-AA title Saturday with a 68-52 win over Centennial (Corona), but that's not the title the Jackrabbits are ultimately after. Pursuit of the CIF Division I state title begins next week. Ryan Anderson turned in another monster double-double against Centennial with 18 points and 21 rebounds.

7. (7) Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) (29-1)
The Hornets crushed Hoover (San Diego) in a highly-anticipated San Diego Section Division II final Friday, getting 19 points from UCLA signee Norman Powell in an 85-55 job that was never in doubt. Lincoln will begin defense of its Division II state this week.

8. (8) Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) (29-0)
The Redwings got a major scare from Naperville North (Naperville, Ill.) in regional final action Friday, needing two overtimes to squeeze out a 43-42 victory. Northwestern-bound guard David Sobolewski accounted for nearly half of Benet's points with 19. High-scoring guard Ryan Boatright and Aurora East are up next.

9. (10) Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) (22-1)
Regular season complete. The Mustangs expect to participate in the National High School Invitational at the end of the month.

10. (15) Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) (32-1)
The Panthers jump five spots after roaring to the finish line to capture Florida's Class 5A state title. Dwyer's postseason run was machine-like, beating opponents down by an average margin of 25.4 points per game. All-American candidate Jacoby Brissett – a University of Florida football signee – scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 72-57 win over Lake Wales in the final. Dwyer's only official loss (a January setback against Dr. Krop was later reversed due to the use of an ineligible player) came against Winter Park at the City of Palms Classic. Brissett had been with the basketball for less than a week at that time and was playing in just his second game of the season.

11. (11) Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.) (22-0)
The Falcons begin have won 41 games in a row and are just three victories away from a three-peat in Kansas' 6A classification. Heights will take on Blue Valley West (Stilwell) in state quarterfinal play Wednesday.

12. (12) Lakeview Centennial (Garland, Texas) (36-1)
Senior guard Chris Jones led the Patriots in scoring against both The Woodlands (21 points) and DeSoto (15) over the weekend to help the program get to Austin for the 5A state tournament. Centennial will take on Taft (San Antonio) in the semifinals.

13. (14) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (27-3)
Regular season complete. The Warriors will participate in the National High School Invitational at the end of March.

14. (16) Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) (30-1)
The Wolverines cruised to Georgia's Class AAAA final four with a 24-point win over Villa Rica in the regional finals, preceded by a 19-point win over previously-unbeaten Sequoyah (Canton). Junior All-American candidate Tony Parker scored 20 points and ripped down 24 rebounds against Sequoyah.

15. (17) Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (25-2)
Unlike fellow nationally-ranked Class 4A state tournament entrant Benet Academy, Simeon hasn't been touched through two rounds of postseason play. Urban Prep-Englewood (Chicago) and Hinsdale South (Darien) both felt the Wolverines' wrath last week, losing by 56 and 29 points, respectively. University of Illinois signee Tracy Abrams and Mount Carmel (Chicago) should provide a more formidable test Tuesday.

16. (18) Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa) (24-0)
The Lions open Iowa's Class 4A state tournament Wednesday against Washington (Cedar Rapids), a team they beat by 21 Feb. 11 and 25 in early January.

17. (19) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (25-1)
Junior forward Zach Stahl scored 18 points to lead four Royals in double figures in an 82-63 victory over Edina in the team's regular-season finale. Hopkins is averaging over 90 points per game this season.

18. (21) Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) (27-2)
The Toreadors captured their third Los Angeles City Section Division I title Saturday with a 66-62 win over Westchester (Los Angeles). Six-foot-five forward C.J. Blackwell posted 20 points and 14 rebounds in the victory. Taft could meet No. 6 Long Beach Poly or No. 21 Mater Dei at some point in the CIF Division I state tournament, which begins this week.

19. (20) Munster (Ind.) (23-0)
The Mustangs used a pair of tightly-contested victories over the weekend to advance out of Class 4A sectional play. Munster beat East Chicago Central (East Chicago) 44-41 Saturday night to notch its third-straight sectional title. One night earlier, Glenn Robinson III (Big Dog's son) poured in 31 points to help Lake Central (St. John) take Munster to overtime, but the Hoosier State's top-ranked team prevailed 54-53. In one of the more unique state tournament formats in the country, Munster will have to win twice Saturday to advance to semi-state. Riley (South Bend) will be the first opponent with the winner facing the winner of Valparaiso vs. Concord (Elkhart).

20. (22) Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) (21-2)
Regular season complete.

21. (13) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (27-3)
While Mater Dei's loss to Centennial (Corona) in the Southern Section Division I-AA semifinals surprised some, it shouldn't. Centennial is blessed with three Division I-bound senior guards and all of its losses have come to teams that were ranked nationally at some point in the season. Still, the Monarchs face some pressure heading into the CIF Division I state tournament as far as the Xcellent 25 goes. Anything less than a state title and MD is probably on the outside looking in.

22. (23) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) (28-3)
Regular season complete. Expected to participate in the National High School Invitational later this month.

23. (NR) Kimball (Dallas, Texas) (36-3)
The Knights settled the Kimball-Lincoln (Dallas) debate Saturday and advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals with a 51-42 win over LeBryan Nash and the Tigers. The Dallas rivals split a pair of regular-season meetings, but Kimball received 13 points from Austin Franklin and 11 more from Shannon Lilly to win when it matters most. Cedar Park will be the opponent Thursday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin with a trip to the championship game on the line.

24. (25) Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (27-2)
The Railsplitters advanced to the PSAL AA quarterfinals Sunday with a 50-42 win over Forest Hills. Freshman Isaiah Whitehead led the way with 16 points for Lincoln, who will face Cardozo (Oakland Gardens) in the semifinals.

25. (NR) Chester (Pa.) (26-1)
The Clippers have been on the verge of Xcellent 25 inclusion for several weeks and finally earn a spot. A 66-43 win over Council Rock North (Newtown) in the District 1 Class AAAA championship game Friday helped punch their ticket. Chester's most impressive win of the season came Jan. 21 against a tough Huntington Prep (Huntington, W.Va.) team. The storied Pennsylvania program begins Class AAAA state tournament play Saturday against Dallastown.