First

I don't understand why he doesn't get more PT at the varsity level.

South Laurel doesn't seem to be playing up to their potential of late.

That's how it's been all year. On Thursday night against West Jess, Faulkner and James may very well shoot more and score more than Hager and Dow. This team does a nice job of taking what the other team gives them. And the problem they present is that they have 4 players that are legitimate threats to lead the team in scoring any game - and they have had 5 different players do so this year.

Tisdale is a very nice player.

What is Bezold's status?

Were you there? What's the scoop? They held Lafayette's big to 3 points?

About what I expected.

Owen wins easily.

I'm not unhappy about it; just trying to understand this particular poll. What I've heard to date is SOS hurts Mercer. So, seeing Scott County up there perplexed me - thus my question.

There is a tournament at the end. But, until then, there are those who attempt to rank teams based on varying methodologies. And, given the fact that you responded to this thread, I'm guessing you thought that a ranking was interesting enough to read - even before the tournament at the end of the year. I'm not going to argue with you about the logic/math behind this. Given your the lack of depth to your reply, I think it might be more worthwhile to await a response from SoccerMath. By the way, there's absolutely no way UK should've been rated #1 last year; or any year for that matter. How could they be when they play in the SEC? There are just too many conferences that are stronger every year.

Then there must not be significant enough weighting given to margin of victory. Mercer's margin of victory is more than 50% higher than Scott County's. If Scott had a top 10 SOS, that'd be one thing - but they don't.

In the past, you've said Mercer's SOS has kept them from being ranked higher. Just curious how Scott County's compares. They've lost only one game but it was to an unranked team that Mercer has beaten twice - and by an average of around 22 points. The have played 1 top 25 team, and they did win that game (Henry Clay). Their margins of victory are solid but not huge. Help me understand how they're ranked third.

Is Weyer back?

Frankly, D2 schools have more flexibility (and can make their scholarships go farther) than D1 schools. At D1 schools, it's all or nothing. If a kid can get 75% paid for due to academics, or financial aid, the school still has to use a FULL athletic scholarship on him - or no athletic money at all. D2 schools can combine any academic money or financial aid that a student is eligible for, then plug the remaining deficit with athletic money. Thus, 10 D2 scholarships often go farther than 13 D1 scholarships.

Very, very true. BTW, Dow is right at 210 pounds.

I count myself among the "everyone who knows anything about Kenrucky high school basketball." Of course Mercer is beatable - as are ALL teams. I wasn't convinced they'd win at Wayne last week, nor am I convinced they'll win a handful of their remaining games. There are just too many variables on any given night. Having said that, that's always true. The best team doesn't always win every night. But, as Purple Pride has shown, a very strong case can be made that they're the best team in the state.

For what it's worth, Mercer scrimmaged at Trinity the week before the season started. They fared well. Obviously, Trinity shot a ton of threes in that scrimmage.

As Purple Pride alluded to, Mercer has a tendency to play to their competition - up or down (and that is especially true in the first half of games). They played up against Wayne and down against Anderson. Yet they're still winning by an average of 23 or so PPG. Their defensive energy was much, much better against Wayne. I'm not too worried about the Amderson game. It was a trap game after having played at Wayne the night before. Mercer wasn't up for it and, based on what I saw out of Anderson, they treated it like it was their Super Bowl. Heck, Montgomery is a much stronger team than Anderson and they beat them by 30 their next game. When Mercer plays with energy, their length on the perimeter helps tremendously when it comes to contesting threes. That said, if a team can manage to hit a high percentage, of course that gives them a better chance to beat Mercer. Madison Central shot 75% from three and almost beat them - but still didn't get the W.

I don't know about that. I saw them play Mercer. The Wayne team that night would have dismantled Rock. They then beat Hoptown the next day. That said, how that same team could lose to Rock is beyond me. I can't recall ever being so surprised by the result of a high school game.

If Weyer is out or not at full strength, then Owen is the clear favorite.

Wow, Southwest at #4? They do keep moving up all of the rankings. Throw in Wayne and the 12th is looking very strong 3 weeks into January.

I'm sure there's an explanation, but aren't Cov Cath and Mercer tied for first? They both are ranked at 102.7.

Good for Ethan. I really think a lot of this kid. As has been said, he has a great work ethic and loves the game. He also is one tough kid with a very positive attitude. Gods luck to Ethan!

Awesome read. Very, very impressive story. Sounds like this kid has a level of maturity well beyond that of most high school seniors.

Top 5 are the top 5. I think you can make a strong argument for any of the top 4 to be rated as the #1 team.