Top 20 Discussion

[ColonelMike]

Got to be some shakeup in the Top 20 this week, given the results on the court.

Ballard still looks the #1 to me, but below?

Etown should make a sizeable jump ....maybe to #2?     They have one loss - a one point loss to a Top-20 caliber John Hardin team in a bitter rivalry situation.   They beat DeSales (top 10 caliber team), Bardstown (by 16), are the only team to defeat LaRue County, and what they did to Bowling Green was - well - awfully impressive to say the least.

CovCath looks like #3 to me.   Wins over Male, DeSales, Conner, Trinity, Dixie Heights, and Highlands make for an impressive resume.   Only loss was by 1 to North Laurel (another Top 10 team)

DeSales - I've been campaigning for the Colts all year, since long before they were ranked.   (no, I have no affiliation with DeSales.   Shoot, I'm not even Catholic).  They simply deserve more respect.    Four losses - to CovCath, Trinity, Elizabethtown, and Ballard - by a total of just 17 points.   Three of those teams I have ranked above them....the fourth game - a three point loss to Trinity - was against a really good team and a rivalry to boot.   I tend to somewhat discount somewhat very close losses to big rivals who happen to have really good teams.

LexCath - 16 point win over Highlands looks like the Knights' signature win so far....really wish LexCath hadn't had that long COVID quarantine....we missed out on some interesting matchups against Trinity, Montgomery County, and Madison Central.   Win over St. Henry was a great win, but a 2 point win in OT insinuates that the Knights should be closer to St. Henry in the rankings....still, undefeated is undefeated.

Male - Resounding 33 point win over Bardstown (!) is the best win so far, but Male is still getting their legs under them (only six games played).   Competitive in losses to CovCath and DeSales.   I confess I'm giving Male the benefit of faith here....I think the Bulldogs will be incredibly tough at the end of the season when they catch up a bit in games played.   Nobody questions the talent on this team.  St. X, Seneca, Fern Creek games yet to play....

North Laurel - Awesome offense.    Wins over CovCath, South Laurel (twice), Covington Holy Cross, and Madison Central ....and a 14-0 record....

Highlands - Very impressed with this team's efficiency on offense.   So many shooters to guard.   Vinson could take the night off and Highlands would still have more scorers capable of 20+ points than most of their opponents.

Bowling Green - 19 point win over McCracken, 32 point(!) victory over Somerset, and a victory over John Hardin are impressive and BG has made a mockery of their 4th region foes.  Only one loss, but the loss to Etown was so complete it makes you wonder if the Panthers found an Achilles' Heel.   Still, putting an 11-1 team that appears to be easily the Class of the West out of the top 10 makes no sense whatsoever.

OK, since I started this, I guess I should put in at least 10 teams.....I haven't seen Eastern yet (#12 in the current BGP ranking) - but then, few have as Eastern has played just 2 games, against Manual and Moore, winning both.   Oldham County is a real possibility; the Colonels are healthy, but still have played only 8 games.    Big games coming up for the Colonels, who play #15 DeSales, #5 CovCath, and #12 Eastern in 3 of their next 4 games...    Ashland may be the best of the East, but if BG is #9, can the #10 team have lost to BG by 26?   I don't think so.    St. Henry lost to LexCath by just 2 and is 9-2 on the season, but a loss to Beechwood may put them out of the top 10.....The Crusaders staying in Northern KY this year - the LexCath game has been their only game outside of the 9th/10th Regions - so the state All A tournament game against Owensboro Catholic may tell us a lot about St. Henry.    Boyle County?  Frederick Douglass?  George Rogers Clark?  John Hardin?

If I had to put someone out there right now, I'll go with John Hardin at #10.

😀

[Tigerpride94]

Trying to rank basketball teams especially this year will make your head hurt. I would have Covington Catholic #2. I don't see North Laurel being as low as 7th being undefeated with a win over Covington Catholic and can make an argument for them to be #1. Ballard maybe 3 due to not many games played yet.

[ColonelMike]

2 hours ago, Tigerpride94 said:

Trying to rank basketball teams especially this year will make your head hurt. I would have Covington Catholic #2. I don't see North Laurel being as low as 7th being undefeated with a win over Covington Catholic and can make an argument for them to be #1. Ballard maybe 3 due to not many games played yet.

I can certainly see the CovCath argument for #2.   When I wrote the above, I really wrestled with Etown and CovCath at 2 and 3.

I honestly have never seen North Laurel, but have reviewed their record and read all about their considerable successes.   They can certainly score - and the last I knew, the game is all about who scores the most, right?    But I couldn't find anyone I was ready to move down below them, so they landed at #7.   With the CovCath win so close, I saw it more as a "qualifier" that put North into the top 10 - but not necessarily up in the elite (top 5) - yet.   But I can certainly see an argument for North Laurel as #1, too.    After all, nobody has solved their puzzle yet.

I also agree with your first statement.    My head hurt after working through my draft top 10......   😟

[ColonelMike]

Just in the interest of transparency....I'm not a BGPreps Top 20 voter.    So - the above doesn't tell you anything about how tomorrow's BGPreps poll might look.    Your guess is as good as mine.

[Tigerpride94]

1 minute ago, ColonelMike said:

Just in the interest of transparency....I'm not a BGPreps Top 20 voter.    So - the above doesn't tell you anything about how tomorrow's BGPreps poll might look.    Your guess is as good as mine.

I’m not a voter either.

[colonel-fan]

Here is this week's AP Poll:

Rank-School (FPV)             Rcd   TP   Pvs

1. Lexington Catholic (8)       12-0  103   2 

2. North Laurel (2)                 14-0    90   4 

3. Covington Catholic            13-2    78   3 

4. Ballard (1)                            6-0    77   5 

5. Elizabethtown                      9-1    76   8 

6. Bowling Green                   11-1    62   1 

7. DeSales                             10-4    27  NR

8. St. Henry                             9-2    24   10

9. Male                                    4-2    19   6 

10. Frederick Douglass           9-1   13  NR

[Unrivaled97]

2 hours ago, colonel-fan said:

Here is this week's AP Poll:

Rank-School (FPV)             Rcd   TP   Pvs

1. Lexington Catholic (8)       12-0  103   2 

2. North Laurel (2)                 14-0    90   4 

3. Covington Catholic            13-2    78   3 

4. Ballard (1)                            6-0    77   5 

5. Elizabethtown                      9-1    76   8 

6. Bowling Green                   11-1    62   1 

7. DeSales                             10-4    27  NR

8. St. Henry                             9-2    24   10

9. Male                                    4-2    19   6 

10. Frederick Douglass           9-1   13  NR

And I don't think anyone could necessarily argue with this ranking either.  The top 9 or 10 teams could all be interchangeable and beat anyone on the list on any given night.  Honestly, even in this crazy season, that's what I like most.  In most recent years, I don't think the parity has been quite like this.  Then you look at a few teams that aren't even in the top 10 like Fern Creek, Highlands, John Hardin or Oldham County and you're looking at an interesting and fun post-season because teams like that can also beat anybody on any given night.

[ColonelMike]

Walton-Verona's win over Lyon County today probably just knocked the Lions out of the Top 20

Lyon's obviously a fine team....but I just don't think they are Top 20 caliber at this time.

The season, of course, isn't over yet....