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 Guard1. (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.
