BENSALEM, Pa. – Beware the Ides of March. William Shakespeare had a way with words and that quote from Julius Caesar encapsulates the way the month of March is unfolding.

And the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings are feeling it.

Last weekend, then-No. 5 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) lost in the Georgia Class AAAAAAA final by one point to Wheeler (Marietta), 60-59. The Rams fell behind by double-digits, roared back to take the lead only to see it slip away with 1.1 seconds left. That’s pain … misery … agony of defeat.

There’s a reason why in basketball circles March is maddening. Beware!

OK, two teams rejoin the Elite 25. No. 22 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) is back after winning the Baltimore Catholic League final and has three games this weekend at the 60^th annual Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament in Frostburg, Maryland. The tournament first-round matchups are linked here with the ACIT tipping on Thursday afternoon. As of Wednesday, March 11, the ACIT is a go with spectators allowed to attend. In other states, the playoffs have been canceled outright (Connecticut) or played with closed doors–no fans, media and in some instances family members.

No. 25 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) is finally healthy and involved in the New York Catholic High School Athletic Association intersectional Class AA playoffs. As of Sunday night, no word when the quarterfinals will be played. Apparently the Coronavirus is altering events in and around New York City.

We shift to the GEICO High School Nationals that will be played April 2-4. As usual we handicap the field. There are two major changes—one obvious and one shocker.

The big news is the COVID-19 or Novel Coronavirus outbreak has brought change to the boys’ and girls’ basketball world.

The GEICO High School National Tournament will shift from New York to Roebuck, South Carolina out of fear of the virus is spreading. Last weekend, the New York governor declared a state of emergency but the plans to move the event were already in place.

We heard this was happening last week but were asked to remain silent until Wednesday.

The new home is Dorman High School near Spartanburg, S.C.  All games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.

The next piece of the big news has to do with the GEICO Nationals eight-team boys’ field.

Definitely in: Montverde Academy, Wasatch Academy, Oak Hill Academy, Sunrise Christian, Prolific Prep and Dorman. Dorman won its fourth straight South Carolina Class AAAAA championship but they were assured of an invitation regardless of the result.

Under consideration: States such as Maryland, Georgia, Nevada, Washington, Florida, Arizona and Utah are in play, or their state champions are in line for an invitation. Grayson, who was ranked No. 5 last week, blew it, bowing in the Georgia Class AAAAAAA final. DeMatha is out too. So, the next two would be defending champions IMG Academy and La Lumiere School.

My ballot (in no particular order): Montverde Academy, Wasatch Academy, Oak Hill Academy, Sunrise Christian, Prolific Prep, IMG Academy, Dorman and La Lumiere. Although I believe Bishop Gorman should be added as the No. 8 seed. That’s not going to happen. These eight teams are it.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings will return March 17—St. Patrick’s Day. Erin Go Bragh!

Hope to see you at game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball rankings, March 10, 2020

1. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (25-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Regular season is complete. The Eagles posted a perfect campaign and won’t play again for two months when the GEICO High School Nationals tip off on April 2. They last won the event in 2018 and made it to the semifinals last year.

2. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (30-3)*

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Idle. The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions are in a holding pattern until the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament starting Thursday in Frostburg, Md.

3. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (37-3)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Idle. The Warriors will play in the GEICO Nationals.

4. Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (27-2)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Regular season is complete. The Tigers are headed to the GEICO Nationals.

5. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (22-3)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Idle. The Crusaders won’t play again until late March at the New York State Federation Class AA semifinals against the New York Public Schools champion.

6. Dorman, Roebuck, S.C. (30-1)*

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Won fourth straight Class 5A state championship, beating Dutch Fork (Irmo), 65-46, in the final. During the four-year stretch the Cavaliers are 106-13. Next up the GEICO Nationals on April 2.

7. Sunrise Christian Academy, Bel Aire, Kan. (22-3)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Idle. The Buffaloes are headed to their second straight GEICO Nationals in April.

8. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (29-4)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Defeated Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 75-65, in the Southern California Region Open Division semifinals. The lead was 39-30 at halftime. Amari Bailey netted 22 points and Ziaire Williams and Harold Yu had 18 apiece. The Trailblazers face No. 15 Etiwanda in the region final. The winner goes to the CIF-Open Division final Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

9. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (27-8)*

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Idle. The Panthers go for a second postseason chip at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament tipping on Thursday afternoon.

10. Prolific Prep, Napa, Calif. (26-3)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Idle. The GEICO Nationals will become a reality for the Crew.

11. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (23-3)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Regular season is complete but the Lakers are headed to GEICO Nationals.

12. Camden, N.J. (28-1)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The offense was cranking last week in three playoff games, averaging 99 points. The Panthers toppled West Deptford, 102-62, the in the South Jersey, Group 2 semifinals. They also beat Manchester Township, 95-44, in the quarterfinals as Kentucky-bound forward Lance Ware posted a 15-point, 15-rebound double. Freshman DJ Wagner paced five double-digit scorers with 20 points and Jerome Brewer added 17 points and 15 rebounds to eliminate Lower Cape May (Cape May), 100-41, in the first round. The Panthers play in the sectional final Tuesday against Haddonfield. The Group 2 semifinals are Thursday and the final Sunday afternoon.

13. Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, La. (32-3)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Crushed Jesuit (New Orleans), 83-33, in the LHSAA Division I quarterfinals. Next is Brother Martin (New Orleans) Wednesday in the semifinals.

14. Lancaster, Texas (36-1)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Won the Class 5A Region II championship, stopping Kimball (Dallas), 90-69, in the final. Wade Taylor IV popped in 15 of his game-high 33 points in the decisive third quarter when the Tigers pulled away. That victory earned a trip to the program’s fourth state tournament berth since 2010 and was the 34^th consecutive triumph. Next up is Wagner (San Antonio) Friday in the Class 5A state semifinals in San Antonio.

15. Etiwanda, Calif. (30-3)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Edged then-No. 16 Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 65-61, in the CIF-Southern California Region Open Division semifinals. The final against No. 8 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth) is Tuesday. Jahmai Mashack collected 19 points and 8 rebounds in a 67-61 victory over Rancho Christian (Temecula) in the first round. A 13-0 run that bridge the third and fourth quarters helped coach Dave Kleckner’s team rally from a 45-39 hole.

16. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (19-6)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Regular season is complete. Looks like GEICO Nationals are in the picture.

17. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (25-8)

Previous: 17

Low-down: Lost to then-No. 17 Etiwanda, 65-61, in the in the Southern California Regional Open Division semifinals. The Monarchs led 46-44 after three quarters, but failed to close it out. Season complete.

18. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (28-3)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won Nevada Class 4A state championship. Season complete.

19. Curie, Chicago (28-2)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won Class 4A regional, beating Lyons (LaGrange), 66-44, in the final and Argo (Summit), 68-34, in the semifinals. The sectional semifinals are Tuesday.

20. St. Benedict’s, Newark, N.J. (30-4)*

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Won New Jersey State Prep A championship. Season complete.

21. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (23-4)*

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Opened the PIAA Class AAA tournament last weekend, crushing Brandywine Heights (Mertztown), 75-42. The Saints meet Holy Redeemer (Wilkes-Barre) Wednesday in the second round. The quarterfinals are slated for Saturday.

22. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (38-4)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Since crashing out of the Elite 25 rankings two weeks ago, the Panthers won the Baltimore Catholic League tournament title and are off for the Alhambra Catholic Invitational this week in Frostburg, Md. The Panthers open the prestigious eight-team tournament with St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School (Alexandria, Va.) Thursday afternoon.

23. Eden Prairie, Minn. (28-0)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: The Eagles remained undefeated and hit the ground running in the Class 4A Section 2 tournament, wiping out Prior Lake, 99-74, in the semifinals and Chanhassen, 94-61, in the first round. Now they host Shakopee Friday in the section final with the winner going to the Class 4A state tournament.

24. Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis, Minn. (24-3)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: In the Class 3A, Section 4 tournament, it was business as usual in defeating Columbia Heights, 101-64, in the semifinals and Como Park (St. Paul), 107-43, in the opening round. The Redhawks host Totino-Grace (Fridley) Thursday in the sectional final. The winner punches a ticket to the Class 3A state tournament next week.

25. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (18-9)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Crusaders, who are healthy again, return to the Elite 25 rankings after winning the Class AA Archdiocesan tournament. Sunday’s quarterfinal games in the New York intersectional tournament were postponed by the Novel Coronavirus and will be played Wednesday and Thursday at Christ the King High School in Middle Village. The Crusaders will face archrival Iona Prep (New Rochelle) Thursday.

Dropped: No. 5 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) and No. 22 Corona (Calif.) Centennial.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (29-6)*
2. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C. (25-10)*
3. Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore (25-2)
4. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (21-5)
5. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (20-7)…WE

Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

Midwest

1. Moeller, Cincinnati (25-1)
2. Bloomington (Ind.) South (26-0)
3. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (24-1)
4. River Rouge, Mich. (19-1)
5. Vashon, St. Louis (22-5)

Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Southland

1. North Mecklenburg, Huntersville, N.C. (30-1)
2. St. Augustine, New Orleans (30-1)
3. Hamilton Heights Christian, Chattanooga, Tenn. (27-3)*
4. Ashland (Ky.) Blazer (31-0)
5. Lee, Montgomery, Ala. (33-1)*

Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Far West

1. Sheldon, Sacramento, Calif. (27-5)
2. Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, Calif. (25-7)
3. Garfield, Seattle (25-4)*
4. Rancho Christian, Temecula, Calif. (22-8)
5. Salpointe Catholic, Tucson, Ariz. (30-1)*

Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

* Won a state, national or recognized conference/league postseason tournament championship

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Boys’ Basketball Rankings are released weekly from November until the conclusion of the high school season in April. Criteria considered are the quality of the team and its players, strength of schedule, tradition, and quality of the team’s league, conference, region or district. The rankings are compiled by Blue Star Media’s Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released in April. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.