SBLive Arkansas Top 25 boys basketball rankings: Some teams move up, looking to make title-game run

By Kyle Sutherland I Photo by Jaison Sterling

It is officially postseason across the board as Class 5 and 6A finished the regular season and some regionals are finishing up to begin the week due to reschedules from more inclement weather postponements. Seven of the top 10 remained the same with 18 other movements, along with one team making its return and another with a debut.

Here are the boys Top 25 rankings for February 28-March 7:

1. North Little Rock (25-3)

The Charging Wildcats rolled through rival Little Rock Central and Cabot to end the regular season, and they now set their sights on being the last team standing in 6A along with possibly one of the best teams to ever play in Arkansas. 

2. Jonesboro (22-3)

After blowing past Nettleton, the Hurricane had an interesting game with archrival Marion that was a major defensive battle at halftime before pulling away 37-30. They head into the state tournament looking to repeat.

3. Magnolia (26-0)

Watson Chapel seems to be the team in 4A with the recipe of pushing Magnolia to the brink, but the Panthers were able to survive the upset and clinch the 4A South Regional with one more trophy to cap the season.

4. LR Parkview (21-3)

Parkview escaped with an 89-97 overtime victory against Maumelle in possibly the state’s best game of this season. With that win, the Patriots finished the conference slate undefeated and do not really care that many have Jonesboro as the favorite in Class 5A.

5. Farmington (32-1)

It is a fun time to be associated with Farmington as both the guys and girls clinched the 4A North Regional and have a ton of momentum heading into state.

6. Maumelle (23-4)

The Hornets could not miss for the majority of the first half on the road against No 4 Parkview, but the Patriots came back from a double-digit deficit and were able to win the game in overtime after Carl Daughtery Jr.’s clutch three to get them there. The Hornets shoot as well as any team in the state when they’re on.

7. Russellville (21-7)

The Cyclones won their fourth straight conference title and have excelled in conference games, but they face a sneaky good Jacksonville team in the first round of state.

8. Fayetteville (20-6)

The Purple Dogs lost a close one to Har-Ber after they had already won the 6A-West and their body of work speaks for itself, so they hold on to the No 8 spot.

9. Bentonville West (19-6)

West moves into the Top 10 as winners of 10 of its past 12 games.

10. Bentonville (19-8)

The Tigers humbled Springdale 70-32 before closing out the regular season with a 71-54 victory over Fort Smith Southside and will open the state tournament against Conway.

11. Siloam Springs (20-6)

In a very important week after losing ground on the top seed in the 5A-West, the Panthers went 2-0 with a key win over Vilonia to secure the two seed.

12. Marion (16-5)

The Patriots have lost two of the past three games but should still not be slept on heading into state as a talented team that has certainly been battle-tested.

13. Springdale (18-8)

Freshman sensation Courtland Muldrew did not play the previous two games and his absence did not go unnoticed. The Red Dogs dropped two in a row taking a beating from Bentonville then falling by a handful to Bentonville West.

14. Lake Hamilton (19-6)

The Wolves seem to be back to their old selves now on a four-game win streak at the right time as they head to Sheridan for the Class 6A state tournament.

15. Mills (20-7)

Mills continues to roll and got a huge win against a very solid Blytheville team led by Javion Guy-King’s 22 points to win the 4A East Regional.

16. Osceola (24-4)

The Seminoles have now won 14 straight and continue to be the hottest team in Class 3A following a regional championship victory over Walnut Ridge.

17. Pine Bluff (19-7)

Lake Hamilton ended the Zebras’ 12-game win streak, but Pine Bluff head into the state tournament confident as one of the most improved teams in Class 5A.

18. Little Rock Central (16-11)

Central has figured some things out winning seven of their past eight games and are the No. 3 in the state tournament with a chance for a semifinal showdown with top-seeded North Little Rock if they take care of business.

19. Vilonia (15-8)

The Eagles battled hard against Russellville and Siloam Springs but could not overcome either and go from tied for the one-seed to the three-seed.

20. West Memphis (16-10)

The Blue Devils drop following a two-point loss to Greene County Tech but stay in the final spot of the Top 20 due to higher-ranked losses.

21. Fountain Lake (28-4)

The Cobras dropped two tough ones in a row by a total of four points to Watson Chapel and then arch-rival Arkadelphia, but they could be dangerous as a four-seed in Magnolia.

22. Elkins (27-4)

The dream season for the Elks continues following a regional title victory over Cedarville and they move up three spots.

23. Har-Ber (18-8)

The Wildcats return to the Top 25 after sweeping the final two regular season games against Rogers and Fayetteville.

24. Blytheville (25-6)

Other than Rashaud Marshall there were not many positives for the Chickasaws against a very powerful Mills team, but they hang on to a spot in the Top 25 with plenty to be excited about as they head to Magnolia.

25. Watson Chapel (20-9)

Despite no wins in the three games played, the Wildcats put up as good of a fight as just about anyone against No 3 Magnolia and won 12 out of 14 conference games.