Video: Georgia's Grayson in action See the 15-1 Rams in action.
As we reach the mid-point of the 2019-20 high school basketball season, we thought it would be a fun exercise to isolate the programs eligible to compete for a state title in their own set of rankings.
Six of the Top 10 teams in the current MaxPreps Top 25 are academies or independent programs, so this allows for the opportunity to put the spotlight on more organic teams.
The weekly national Top 25 will stick with the same approach through the end of the season but we are taking a one-off look at the top teams who will end their year in a state tournament a little over a month from now. See the complete list below.
The Peach State has developed into a high school basketball hotbed in recent years and this season is no different as Grayson ranks atop the list of non-academy based schools. The Rams boast signature wins over Milton (Ga.), Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.), Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.), McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Shiloh (Snellville, Ga.).
The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference powerhouse is coming off back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, knocking off No. 17 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 71-60 and No. 10 St. John's 68-62.
The Cavaliers face in-state opponents for the remainder of the year after notching impressive wins over Huntington Prep (Huntington, W.Va.), Cannon (Concord, N.C.), Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.), Whitney Young (Chicago), St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) and No. 10 St. John's.
After
two early season losses, the Huskies have reeled off 10 consecutive
wins, including tournament titles at the Tarkanian Classic and King Cotton Classic.
A big weekend lies ahead for the Eagles as a rematch with No. 9 Sierra Canyon awaits on Saturday night. Rancho Christian won the first meeting this season 85-81 in overtime.
Bounced back from three straight losses in a big way with a conference win against No. 14 Gonzaga 62-54.
Notched a signature win over No. 9 Sierra Canyon 78-58 behind dominant games from 5-star duo Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs.
Split
a pair of meetings in Minnesota over the weekend, taking down previous
No. 12 Patrick School 71-56 before losing to No. 15 Minnehaha Academy
78-58. The Trailblazers have an opportunity to avenge their loss to No.
11 Rancho Christian on Jan. 11.
Narrowly fell to No. 2 DeMatha 68-62 in a tough conference loss this week. The Cadets have an impressive national resume that includes a runner-up finish at the Beach Ball Classic.
Faces a major test this weekend at the Ascender Classic, taking on the host No. 14 IMG Academy on Jan. 11.
Captured
the title at the Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic, knocking off state
title contenders Male (Louisville, Ky.) 59-39 and Tampa Catholic (Tampa,
Fla.) 70-56 in the semifinals and championship game, respectively.
Dropped their fourth decision of the year last night, falling to conference foe No. 7 Paul VI 62-54. The Eagles will need to rebound quickly with a showdown against No. 2 DeMatha looming on Jan. 13.
Defeated six in-state opponents by 36 points per contest. A national perspective-defining showdown with No. 8 Minnehaha Academy looms on Feb. 1.
16. Duncanville (Texas), 15-2Favorites to repeat as UIL Class 6A state champions have won 34 consecutive games against in-state opponents dating back to last season.
After capturing a major event title at the Les Schwab Invitional, the Monarchs fell to No. 2 DeMatha 71-60 at the Cancer Research Classic.
The top-ranked team from the Prairie State boasts quality in-state wins over O'Fallon, East St. Louis, Morgan Park (Chicago) and Mundelein.
After finishing as state runner-up last season, this group will look to unseat the three-time defending state champions Mountain Brook.
The Crusaders are off to a strong start after third place finishes in both the Iolani Classic and Beach Ball Classic. This weekend they take on unbeaten Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) on Jan. 11 at the Empire Invitational.
A challenging weekend awaits the Celtics as they are set to face Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) on Jan. 10 and St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) on Jan. 11.
Lone loss came at the Beach Ball Classic in a quarterfinal showdown with No. 10 St. John's. A showdown with No. 13 St. Frances Academy looms on Jan. 23.
Notched a signature 32-22 victory over IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) to boost their national resume immensely heading into the new year.
The Gaels have faced a lot of adversity throughout the 2019-20 basketball season, dealing with injuries and losing transfers just before the year. Will anything stop their quest for a ninth consecutive state championship?
Appears to be the team to beat in the Hoosier State this year after an early season victory against preseason favorite Lawrence Central (Indianapolis).
