My goodness, it's been almost 3 weeks since I've looked at the boys ratings. My new top 20 as of today.
1. Hopkins (22-1, was #2). Winners of 18 in a row. Projected section 6AAAA champion and #1 seed.
2. Eastview (21-1, was #1). Dropped out of #1 a couple weeks ago with a loss to Lakeville North. I still believe them to be one of the two bests along with Hopkins. Projected section 3AAAA champion and #2 seed.
3. Benilde-St.Margaret's (21-1, Class AAA, was #3). The obvious favorite in Class AAA. Projected section 6AAA champion and #1 seed.
4. Lakeville North (21-1, was #3). 11 straight wins, including that upset of then-undefeated and #1 Eastview. I've seen each of them--Eastview and Lakeville North vs. Apple Valley--and I think Eastview has more and better weapons and would win a rematch, which might occur as #2 and #3 seeds in the state tournament. Ergo, Eastview ranks ahead of Lakeville North. Projected section 1AAAA champion and #3 seed.
5. Osseo (21-2, was #7). 7 straight wins, though the most recent was a 1-pointer over Maple Grove. Projected section 5AAAA champion and #4 seed.
6. Mpls. Washburn (21-2, Class AAA,was #9). Can you believe that Benilde and Washburn, the 2 best AAA teams in the state, are in the same section?
7. Apple Valley (18-4, was #6). Tyus Jones will probably have to wait until his junior year (next year) to play in the state tournament. The Eagles are 0-5 against top 15 teams.
8. Eden Prairie (16-6, was #10). Has played the toughest schedule of any of the rated teams, having played 11 games among them, winning 7 and losing 4. Projected section 2AAAA champion.
9. DeLaSalle (18-5, Class AAA, was unrated). Gave Benilde a scare. Projected section 3AAA champion and #2 seed.
10. Duluth East (15-8, was #14). 13-1 since Johnny Woodard returned from injury and Akolda Manyang became eligible, with wins over Mpls. Washburn, Tartan and St. Thomas. Projected section 7AAAA champion.
11. Roseville (18-4, was #11 tied). A recent loss to Stillwater hurt a bit, but the Suburban East title is its to lose. Projected section 4AAAA champion.
12. Woodbury (18-4, was #11 tied). I could just as well continue to rank Roseville and Woodbury equally (would be #8 tied, if so). Either way a February 23 match-up will decide the matter, as well as the Suburban East title.
13. Wayzata (18-3, was #5). Lost 3 of 5, including to section rivals Hopkins and Minnetonka.
14. Park Center (15-6, was #18). The Pirates are 15-6 and out-score their opponents 79-69. Conference and section rival Champlin Park is 15-7 and out-scores its opponents 68-66. Go figure.
15. Minnetonka (16-6, was #19).
16. Chanhassan (17-5, was #13).
17. Cretin-Derham Hall (14-8, was unrated).
18. Grand Rapids (20-3, Class AAA, was unrated). Projected as section 7AAA champion and #3 seed.
19. Champlin Park (15-7, was unrated).
20. Edina (15-8, was #15). 2-8 vs. rated teams.
21. White Bear Lake (13-9, was unrated). 3-7 vs. rated teams.
22. Buffalo (15-8, was unrated). Projected as section 8AAAA champion.
23. Mounds View (15-7, was unrated).
24. Tartan (17-5, was unrated).
25. Spring Lake Park (17-5, was #8). I worried this one a bunch. They lost 4 in a row--to Benilde by 2 (no shame in that), but then to Centennial, Irondale by 3 in 2OT and to Columbia Heights--before bouncing back to defeat Cooper 72-70 in OT, not exactly a dominating performance.
Honorable Mention
Braham, St. Peter, Waterville-EM and Redwood Valley all have 1 loss each in AA. 1 of them could easily be top 25, but which 1??? Belgrade-BE is the last unbeaten and the obvious #1 in Class A, but no way are they among the top 25 teams in the state.
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