SBLive Arkansas Top 25 boys basketball rankings: North Little Rock goes wire-to-wire in top spot; Jonesboro No. 2 but lands in national rankings
The 2021-22 season is complete, and the only shift is within the Top 6 following the state championship games. Two schools finished the season in the Top 25 of the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 and some of these teams should be the favorite in their respective classes heading into next season.
Here are the final boys rankings for the 2021-22 season:
1. North Little Rock (28-3)
North Little Rock, who is ranked No. 12 nationally in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Boys Power 25, sealed its place in the books as one of the best-ever to play in Arkansas clinching the 6A state title after playing by far the toughest schedule in school history.
2. Jonesboro (28-3)
The Golden Hurricane cruised through state tournament play en route to winning its second state title in a row and also earned the 23rd spot on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25.
3. Magnolia (29-0)
Blytheville gave the Panthers a bit of a scare, but as they have done before the Panthers found a way to win and Razorback signee Derrian Ford, who ran a 102-degree temperature on Friday and needed IV fluids on Friday Saturday, completes one of the best careers in state history.
4. Bentonville (22-9)
The Tigers hung tough with North Little Rock all they could, but ultimately the Charging Wildcats were not going to be denied. Bentonville will be one of the teams to beat heading into next season.
5. Fayetteville (21-7)
The Purple Dogs fell short in the semifinals against rival Bentonville following a 6A-West conference championship season.
6. Marion (26-8)
The Patriots only lost by seven the last time they played arch-rival Jonesboro in the regular season, but this one was over before it began as the Golden Hurricane hardly broke a sweat throughout the postseason including the championship game.
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 (28-8)
The Chickasaws were a few free throws away from a monumental upset over Magnolia, but they fell by three points in the state championship game. With just about everyone returning next season, the Chickasaws could be the way-too-early favorites for Class 4A.
15. Osceola (28-4)
It was a ragged game at first, but the Seminoles were able to get things clicking in the second half of the state championship game to claim Class 3A for themselves.
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 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 (28-4)
The Bobcats had some struggles in the first half of the Class 3A state championship game but then came out of the locker room at halftime on a 9-0 run. Osceola made a couple runs of its own and claimed the 3A state title, but Dumas feels confident heading into 2022-23 with all the Reddick brothers-Mike, Tommy, and Billy-returning.
25. Watson Chapel (20-10)
Due to shuffles throughout the Top 25, Watson Chapel holds onto the final spot.
