Some Nebraska high school boys basketball teams have taken to heart the cliché, "You've got to beat the best to be the best." And while plenty of programs have met that theory with great success, some have not.
As we dove into our Nebraska high school boys basketball rankings and sifted through the strength of schedule data, we discovered that some of the Cornhusker State's premier basketball programs play schedules that match their own level of play.
Elkhorn North, the top team in this week's Top 10, may be struggling in the win column this winter, but the Wolves have been competitive against a fierce schedule.
The Wolves have gone 2-11 against a schedule that features 11 teams with winning records. Andy King's squad suffered a nine-point set back to top-ranked Skutt Catholic in early December, fell to 9-4 Bennington 70-63 in overtime, dropped a 55-51 decision to 8-6 North Platte and lost 58-49 to 7-6 Elkhorn.
Elkhorn North upended 7-6 Bishop Neumann 43-39 and last Saturday traveled to 9-4 Aurora and won 66-59. So far this season the Wolves have battled three of the top four teams in Nebraska according to Tuesday's MaxPreps Nebraska rankings.
Sitting second in this week's Top 10 is 12-1 Platteview. The No. 4 Trojans have faced nine foes with winning records and battled MaxPreps Nebraska Top 25 clubs five times, winning four of those contests.
Omaha Gross Catholic and Cedar Catholic weigh in at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively. Ten of Gross Catholic's 14 foes are on their way to winning seasons while 10 of Platteview's opponents have put together above average winning percentages. Millard West rounds out the Top 5. The Wildcats have taken the court against eight winning programs, including five opponents ranked in the MaxPreps Nebraska Top 25.
Four of the school's represented this week have played their way into the Cornhusker State's Top 25 while all but six of this week's Top 10 programs are ranked in their respective classes' Top 10.
Because the larger schools do play stiffer competition on a regular basis, schools competing in Classes D1 and D2 did not make this week's cut. But, we're going to go ahead and look at the top schedule in those classifications as well. Ainsworth gets credit for banging with Class D1's most brutal slate while No. 10 Falls City Sacred Heart has gone 6-6 against Class D2's toughest schedule.
MaxPreps' strength of schedule rating was used as the basis for this week's Top 10. In the case of a tie, the team with the highest opponent winning percentage earned the higher ranking.
Check out Nebraska's Top 10 toughest boys basketball schedules below. We have listed the school, the school's record through last week, the opponent's combined won-loss record, the school's scoring differential and MaxPrep's strength of schedule rating as of Tuesday.
Line two and beyond were reserved for the school's results against MaxPreps Nebraska Top 25 clubs.
Nebraska's 10 toughest boys basketball schedules1. Elkhorn North (Elkhorn) (2-11) | 110-57 | 51.2-59.8 | 13.4No. 1 Skutt Catholic (43-52), No. 3 Wahoo (52-77), No. 4 Platteview (62-73), No. 22 Roncalli Catholic (43-59).
2. Platteview (Springfield) (12-1) | 95-65 | 63.1-52.2 | 12.4No. 3 Wahoo (46-78), No. 11 Ashland-Greenwood (60-52), No. 19 Beatrice (53-51), No. 19 Beatrice (69-53), No. 22 Roncalli Catholic (59-46).
3. Gross Catholic (Omaha) (5-8) | 97-60 | 55.4-64.0 | 12.1No. 1 Skutt Catholic (30-64), No. 4 Platteview (47-55), No. 10 Omaha Concordia (34-50).
4. Cedar Catholic (Hartington) (10-2) | 96-50 | 62.8-50.2 | 11.7No. 2 Dakota Valley (SD) (64-86), No. 8 Pierce (39-59), No. 8 Pierce (42-37), No. 22 Roncalli Catholic (56-52 OT), No. 24 Wayne (47-30).
5. Millard West (Omaha) (3-9) | 94-53 | 51.0-53.3 | 11.1No. 2 Bellevue West (42-70), No. 14 Millard North (47-61), No. 17 Lincoln East (53-55), No. 20 Omaha Westside (40-46), No. 21 Creighton Prep (39-40).
6. Boys Town (3-6) | 70-49 | 58.6-56.6 | 11.0No. 10 Omaha Concordia (59-68), No. 22 Roncalli Catholic (58-71), No. 24 Wayne (62-39).
7. Pierce (11-1) | 98-49 | 47.5-34.4 | 10.9No. 12 Cedar Catholic (59-39), No. 18 Auburn (50-39 OT), No. 12 Cedar Catholic (37-42).
8. Elkhorn (7-6) | 87-69 | 55.0-55.6 | 10.8No. 4 Platteview (47-81), No. 11 Ashland-Greenwood (45-46), No. 25 York (59-74).
9. Creighton Prep (Omaha) (10-4) | 104-69 | 56.5-48.8 | 10.7No. 2 Bellevue West (44-66), No. 6 Gretna (48-51), No. 6 Gretna (62-61), No. 14 Millard North (69-66), No. 14 Millard North (62-69), No. 17 Lincoln East (60-62).
10. Lincoln Southeast (Lincoln) (7-6) | 98-66 | 60.2-54.5 | 10.7No. 6 Gretna (52-53), No. 14 Millard North (40-50), No. 17 Lincoln East (51-59), No. 20 Omaha Westside (67-59).
