Iowa high school boys basketball Top 25 rankings (3/4/2024)

The Iowa boys basketball state tournament starts Monday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Four of the top five teams in our previous rankings made it through in the Class 4A field, but there was near chaos in the substate round, especially in Class 3A.

1. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (23-0) 

The Cougars went into last season’s state championship game as the top seed in Class 4A but were upset in the quarterfinals. Will the undefeated Cougars be able to make a championship run this week? The road starts Wednesday morning vs. Dallas Center-Grimes.

2. West Des Moines Valley (18-5)

The defending Class 4A champions are finally healthy heading into Wednesday’s quarterfinal round state tournament tilt against Johnston. The Tigers are the 2 seed and may be considered the favorite to repeat. They won both games against the Dragons this season.

3. Cedar Falls (20-3)

The Tigers are the 3 seed in the state tournament where they’ll face Bettendorf Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

4. Dubuque Senior (21-2)

The Rams got past Pleasant Valley 49-46 at substate and will take on Ankeny at the state tournament Wednesday afternoon.

5. Dallas Center-Grimes (20-3)

The Mustangs made it to state in Class 4A with a 66-59 win over Waukee Northwest but were not rewarded as they received the worst seed. They do make a dangerous 8 seed and should not be taken lightly by top-ranked and top-seed Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

6. Ankeny (16-6)

The Hawks blew out rival Ankeny Centennial 64-41 in substate and will face Dubuque Senior on Wednesday afternoon.

7. Bettendorf (16-6)

The Bulldogs are the biggest mover in the rankings, jumping 10 spots after upsetting Iowa City West 55-52 at substate. Winners of 10 straight, they’ll face Cedar Falls Wednesday afternoon.

8. Sioux City East (21-3)

The Black Raiders drop all the way from the No.2 position after being upset by previously unranked Johnston 59-54 in substate.

9. Hull Western Christian (20-3)

The defending Class 2A runner-up has a tricky first round matchup vs. Iowa City Regina in the opening round of the state tournament tonight.

10. Decorah (22-2)

The Vikings, who blew out Charles City 69-40 at substate, are the top seed in 3A and face Williamsburg and the talented Derek Weisskopf, who’s averaging 21 points per game.

11. North Linn (23-1)

The Lynx move into the top 10 without playing due to a plethora of upsets. They face Woodbine this morning in the opening round of the 1A state tournament as the top seed in the 1A field.

12. Johnston (14-9)

The Dragons don’t have a fancy record, but eight of their nine losses came to teams ranked in our top 25. They face defending champion West Des Moines Valley in the state quarterfinals Wednesday afternoon.

13. Iowa City West (19-4)

The Trojans fell short of the state tournament again after being upset by red-hot Bettendorf 55-52 at substate.

14. Hudson (21-2)

The Pirates’ only losses this season have come to the IHSAA’s top ranked team in 3A (Decorah) and 4A (Kennedy). They face Grundy Center in the 2A action Tuesday morning.

15. Waverly-Shell Rock (20-3)

The Go-Hawks got past Grinnell 56-54 at substate and are the No. 2 seed in the Class 3A field where they’ll square off against Pella Tuesday night.

16. Waukee (16-8)

The Warriors fell short of the state tournament, losing 66-59 to DC-G at substate.

17. North Scott (16-7)

The Lancers’ season ended when they lost a 57-55 heartbreaker to unbeaten and top-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy at substate.

18. Pleasant Valley (17-6)

The Spartans lost a 49-46 thriller to Dubuque Senior at Substate.

19. Norwalk (18-6)

The Warriors were eliminated 75-64 by the defending 4A state champions Valley at substate.

20. MOC Floyd Valley (21-3)

The Dutchmen are battle tested and riding a nine-game winning streak into the 3A state tournament where they’ll face defending state champion Bondurant-Farrar Tuesday afternoon. They beat Sioux City Heelan 67-57 in a substate final.

21. Davenport Assumption (16-8)

The Knights play in a 4A Conference and are now dominating in the 3A postseason, winning their three postseason games by an average of 31 points. The 4 seed faces Ballard in the state tournament Tuesday afternoon.

22. Ankeny Centennial (17-7)

The Jaguars were blown out 64-41 by rival Ankeny in a substate final.

23. Unity Christian (20-4)

The Knights are seed sixth in the 2A state tournament field where they’ll face unbeaten Underwood, but they play in the difficult Siouxland Conference and their losses came to 3A qualifier MOC Floyd Valley (twice), defending 2A runner up and top seed Hull Western Christian and 22-2 West Lyon, which they defeated 55-50 in substate.

24. Clear Lake (22-2)

The Lions were undefeated but lost two of their last four, including a 61-52 defeat to Ballard at substate.

25. West Lyon (22-2)

The 2A Wildcats saw their outstanding season end with a 55-50 loss to Unity Christian at substate. 

--Chris Short | @SBLiveIA