Arkansas high school boys basketball Top 25 rankings (2/20/2024)
The final week of the regular season has arrived for Class 5A and 6A, while the rest tip off regional tournaments with less than a month remaining in the 2023-24 campaign.
Bryant briefly held the No. 1 spot before its 26-game win streak was snapped, putting Fayetteville back on top as it prepares for a highly-anticipated Top 5 6A-West showdown with Har-Ber.
North Little Rock's win over Jonesboro pushed Pine Bluff back in the Top 10, and other win streaks coming to an end also caused some shifting.
Finally, 24 of the 25 representatives held their spot from last week, while a familiar 6A-West program made its way into the mix for the first time this season.
1. Fayetteville (25-3)
Last week: 3
Close wins last week over Bentonville and Fort Smith Northside set up a match for all the marbles in the 6A-West as the Purple Dogs welcome No. 4 Har-Ber on Tuesday.
2. Bryant (26-3)
Last week: 1
All great things must come to an end, as was the case when North Little Rock snapped the Hornets' 26-game win streak. However, that is only a minor bump in the road as Bryant already has the 6A-Central's top seed with the postseason nearing.
3. Little Rock Central (23-5)
Last week: 2
Though Little Rock Southwest took them to the brink, the Tigers came through in a defensive battle to earn their third consecutive win with a road trip to No. 6 North Little Rock on deck Tuesday.
4. Har-Ber (25-2)
Last week: 4
The Wildcats have not lost since falling to Fayetteville on Jan. 20 and they will get another crack at them on the road Tuesday, with the winner earning the 6A-West's coveted No. 1 seed.
5. Benton (25-4)
Last week: 5
One of the greatest turnaround stories already, the Panthers are a win over Hot Springs Lakeside in the regular season finale away from completing an unblemished run through a stacked 5A-South after finishing seventh in 2022-23.
6. North Little Rock (17-7)
Last week: 9
Now that the Charging Wildcats checked off the biggest win of the season over top-ranked Bryant, they look to add another Top 3 win as they host rival No. 3 Little Rock Central before closing out the regular season against Cabot.
7. Farmington (30-2)
Last week: 7
Yet another 4A-1 district tournament championship was added to the Cardinals' trophy case, but they have much bigger goals in mind as they return to the court against Fountain Lake on Wednesday in the 4A-North Regional Tournament.
8. Lake Hamilton (22-6)
Last week: 8
Another hard-fought performance from the Wolves was not enough against No. 5 Benton, but they did bounce back with a win over El Dorado and will be the No. 3 seed in the 5A state tournament.
9. Nettleton (19-8)
Last week: 10
Winners of 10 consecutive contests, the Raiders can seal the 5A-East's top seed in the final week of the regular season in matchups against Valley View and Searcy.
10. Pine Bluff (19-6)
Last week: 11
Excluding a loss to No. 5 Benton, the defending 5A state champions have been sharp winning seven of their previous eight games as they finish up the regular season this week at Hot Springs.
11. Springdale (17-10)
Last week: 12
Sitting at a good spot as the 6A-West's No. 3 seed, the Red Dogs finish up the regular season with a road contest at Fort Smith Northside before hosting No. 4 Har-Ber in the finale.
12. Jonesboro (14-12)
Last week: 6
After notching their biggest win of the season, Jonesboro dropped a tough one to a sneaky Little Rock Southwest squad before escaping Conway by a point in a bounceback game. A crucial final week of the regular season is up with Cabot and No. 3 Little Rock Central on the slate.
13. Little Rock Christian (22-7)
Last week: 13
Following dominant wins to close out the regular season, the Warriors are prepped to defend their 4A state championship and it all starts against Forrest City on Wednesday in the 4A-East Regional Tournament.
14. Marion (17-4)
Last week: 14
They still have a chance at the 5A-East's top seed, but the Patriots can assure they will be no-worse than No. 2 if they handle their business against Paragould and Valley View.
15. Maumelle (16-10)
Last week: 15
The Hornets only played one game last week, but made the most of it as they snapped their losing streak against Catholic. They head into the regular season finale against Beebe a half game back of the 5A-Central's top seed.
16. Vilonia (20-6)
Last week: 16
Currently leading the 5A-Central race by a half game, the Eagles just have to make sure they play the way they know how in the final two regular season games and they will clinch the 5A-Central's No. 1 seed.
17. Subiaco Academy (26-1)
Last week: 20
Not sure what is in the water, but the Trojans just keep rolling right along. They earned the 4A-4's top seed in the North Regional Tournament by claiming the district tournament championship.
18. Van Buren (21-7)
Last week: 21
The Pointers did themselves a huge favor by taking down Alma, which was the Airedales' first conference loss of the year, and have a strong hold on the 5A-West's No. 2 seed with Siloam Springs and No. 21 Russellville next.
19. Parkview (14-12)
Last week: 19
The Patriots bounced back from a rough week with a win over Beebe and have now shifted their focus to a road contest against No. 16 Vilonia, who leads the 5A-Central race.
20. Alma (18-9)
Last week: 18
Long stretches of victories are great, but the Airedales' 11-game win streak coming to an end may not be the worst thing with the postseason around the corner. They still have a one-game advantage in the 5A-West standings, regardless.
21. Russellville (23-5)
Last week: 23
The conference slate has been somewhat of a rollercoaster for the Cyclones, but a strong finish to the regular season will secure the No. 3 seed heading into next week's 5A state tournament.
22. Bentonville West (14-13)
Last week: NR
It took some time to get things clicking, but the Wolverines are playing their best basketball thus far and make their way in the Top 25 for the first time in 2023-24. They have won four of their past five contests.
23. Mountain Home (19-9)
Last week: 24
A tough start to the week nearly turned disastrous for the Bombers, but they escaped Greenwood with a two-point victory to clinch a postseason berth.
24. Clinton (23-6)
Last week: 25
Still quietly one of the hottest teams throughout the second half of the season, Clinton rides a 17-game win streak into regionals with a very tough Brookland squad up first, the 4A-East Regional host.
25. Mills University Studies (20-9)
Last week: 17
Many raised their eyebrows when the Comets suffered their first defeat of 2024 at the hands of Warren, but they still won the 4A-8 conference and have the league's top seed in this week's 4A-South Regional in Nashville.
Dropped out: Morrilton (22)
-- Kyle Sutherland | @k_sutherlandAR
