SBLive Arkansas Top 25 boys basketball rankings: Top teams playing in Hot Springs for state championships
By Kyle Sutherland I Photo by Ted McClenning
It is that time of year where all the best talents are playing one another, and this week there are movements for everyone except the Top 3 as we head to the final week of the season. State championship games will tip off at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs and you can see all of the brackets with times on scorebooklive.com.
Here are the boys Top 25 rankings for March 7-14:
1. North Little Rock (27-3)
North Little Rock is hoping to complete the task in Hot Springs of being cemented as one of the greatest basketball teams to ever play in Arkansas.
2. Jonesboro (25-3)
The Golden Hurricane enforced the Arkansas Activities Association sportsmanship rule on all its opponents in the state tournament and must to get past arch-rival Marion to win their second title in a row.
3. Magnolia (28-0)
In the most poetic ending fashion you could imagine, Razorback signee Derrian Ford put an exclamation mark on his legacy hitting the game-winning three-pointer to send the Panthers to the finals against Blytheville.
4. Bentonville (22-8)
The Tigers came close in both regular season games, but they finally got past Fayetteville when it mattered most in the semifinals. They will now try to put a damper on North Little Rock’s season.
5. Marion (19-5)
The Patriots are healthy and playing as a complete unit, led by cousins Jayden and Ryan Forrest, and hoping to take down bitter rival in juggernaut Jonesboro.
6. Fayetteville (21-7)
The Purple Dogs fell short in the semifinals against rival Bentonville following a 6A West conference championship season.
7. Lake Hamilton (21-7)
The Wolves fell to Marion following a great showing in the state tournament which included an exciting win over Parkview that went five overtimes.
8. Parkview (22-4)
The Patriots accomplished a lot this year but were not able to make it out of a five-overtime contest with Lake Hamilton in the second round.
9. Springdale (19-8)
The Red Dogs fell to North Little Rock in the second round without one of their key players in freshman Courtland Muldrew, who was out due to injury.
10. Bentonville West (19-7)
West was defeated by Central in the second round of the state tournament.
11. Russellville (22-8)
Following an action-packed first round bout with Jacksonville, the Cyclones were not able to overcome Marion.
12. Maumelle (24-5)
Maumelle had one of the more disappointing showings in the tournament following a very successful regular season, but senior Kaleb Thurman had a great final game with the Hornets scoring 27 points.
13. Little Rock Central (18-12)
Central came into the tournament as winners of seven of their past eight, but archrival North Little Rock was too much for them in the semifinals.
14. Blytheville (28-7)
The Chickasaws shook off some rust and are now looking like the team we saw during the conference season, but No 3 Magnolia awaits them in Hot Springs.
15. Osceola (27-4)
Osceola has won 17 games in a row as the hottest team in Class 3A but will have to get past a very athletic Dumas squad in order to hoist the trophy.
16. Pine Bluff (21-8)
The Zebras had a great showing in the state tournament and played Class 5A favorite Jonesboro close for a half.
17. Mills (22-8)
Mills had possibly the best turnaround in the state this year and took Magnolia to the wire on the Panthers’ home court in the semifinals.
18. Vilonia (16-9)
Vilonia’s plan of playing “keep away” worked against Maumelle and was nearly effective in the second round against Pine Bluff, but the Eagles fell just short.
19. Farmington (32-2)
The Cardinals take a fall in the rankings following a second-round exit in the state tournament coming off of a bye, but had immense success this year in Class 4A.
20. Har-Ber (19-9)
Following a decisive win over Fort Smith Northside in the first round, Har-Ber was eliminated by Fayetteville.
21. West Memphis (17-11)
West Memphis could not overcome a stellar night from Lake Hamilton’s back court in the first round of the state tournament.
22. Siloam Springs (20-7)
The Panthers fought, but West three-seed Sylvan Hills came out on top in the first round.
23. Sylvan Hills (15-12)
The Bears fell victim in the second round against Jonesboro but looked good in a first-round contest with Siloam Springs and will end the season in the Top 25.
24. Dumas (28-3)
The Bobcats move back into the Top-25 after a few-week hiatus and are looking to complete a state championship season this weekend.
25. Watson Chapel (20-10)
Due to shuffles throughout the Top 25, Watson Chapel holds onto the final spot.
