BENSALEM, Pa. – All is quiet this week for the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings. Though there were a few losses amongst the ranks and no additions, expect things to shake later this week.

We are hearing that a prominent program from the Elite 25 may have some issues and therefore might be dropped. Until all the facts are in things remain the same, but the nation has been forewarned.

This decision to drop a team will likely affect the GEICO Nationals (previously known as DICK’S Nationals), which will start sending out invitations in a few weeks. The GEICO Nationals tip on March 29 at the Christ the King High School in Middle Village, N.Y.

If the eight-team tournament was selected today, Montverde (Fla.) Academy, Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) are in. After that it’s crapshoot on who fills out the bracket. A fifth private school could be defending champions La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.), Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah), or an independent state champion from North Carolina or South Carolina.

The top public schools that are in the running are University School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.), McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), Garfield (Seattle), Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), Shadow Mountain (Phoenix) and Olympus (Salt Lake City, Utah to name the leaders. Others may emerge as state tournaments are played in Utah, Florida, Georgia and Washington.

The Elite 25 rankings return on Feb. 27 and state playoffs will be updated. Enjoy the games.

Hope to see you at one soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys Basketball Rankings, Feb. 20, 2018

1. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (32-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: The Eagles are idle until the GEICO Nationals in March.

2. Sunrise Christian Academy, Bel Aire, Kan. (21-2)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Idle.

3. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (36-1)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Idle.

4. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (27-0)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Coach Doug Mitchell’s team opened the postseason dispatching St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 60-43, in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division first round. Daniel Singleton scored 17 points and Josh Vazquez added 14. The Knights square off with Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth in the semifinals Saturday at California Baptist University in Riverside.

5. University School, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (28-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Won the District 13-5A championship, defeating Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale), 61-39, in the final, and Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood), 71-56, in the semifinals. Next up is Monsignor Pace (Miami Gardens) in the Class 5A, Region I first round on Thursday. Just win out and the Sharks are headed to the GEICO Nationals.

6. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (28-2)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Coach Glenn Farello’s team pulled off a rare feat going 18-0 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular season after beating Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.), 64-50, No. 11 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 56-54, and Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 65-32. Next up is the WCAC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. The semifinals are Sunday and the final is Monday at American University’s Bender Arena.

7. Shadow Mountain, Phoenix (23-1)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Defeated Estrella Foothills (Goodyear), 78-54, in the 4A state quarterfinals, and Flagstaff, 94-52, in the first round. The semifinals against Moon Valley (Phoenix) are Friday and the title game is Saturday—both rounds at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix. The Matadors are two wins from a return trip to the GEICO Nationals in New York.

8.  Denton (Texas) Guyer (34-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Grayson Carter and De’Vion Harmon scored 16 points apiece during a 91-75 win over Plano East to post a perfect record in District 6-6A play. The postseason begins Tuesday against Southlake Carroll in the Class 6A, Region I bi-district playoffs.

9. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (27-4)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: The Pilots are gearing up for the GEICO Nationals in March.

10. Simeon, Chicago (25-3)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won third straight Chicago Public League championship, defeating

Orr (Chicago), 69-59. It a 10-2 fourth-quarter showing to clinch the title. Iowa State-bound Talen Horton-Tucker had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. The Wolverines also beat archrival Whitney Young (Chicago), 64-53, in the semifinals and Uplift (Chicago), 86-77, in the quarterfinals. The attention shifts to the Class 4A Reavis Regional, where the Wolverines play Reavis (Burbank) or Hubbard (Chicago) Tuesday in the semifinals. The final is Friday.

11. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (24-5)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Closed out the regular season going 2-1. The WCAC playoffs start this weekend in Washington, D.C.

12. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (20-3)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Lakers move into the home stretch. Junior F Isaiah Stewart was selected to play for the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team at the NCAA Next Generation during the Final Four in San Antonio.

13. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (25-2)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Defeated Walton (Marietta), 71-47, in the Class AAAAAAA first round. Next up is Westlake (Atlanta)/Colquitt County (Moultrie) in the second round on Wednesday or Thursday.

14. East, Memphis, Tenn. (23-3)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Advanced to the District 16-AAA final, defeating White Station (Memphis), 85-54, in the semifinals. The Mustangs played Central (Memphis) or Whitehaven (Memphis) Wednesday for the title.

15. Salesian College Prep, Richmond, Calif. (27-1)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Won the TCAL Rock Tournament championship, thrashing St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo), 69-52, in the final. Next up is the CIF-North Coast Section Division III quarterfinals against Pinole Valley or Alhambra (Martinez) on Friday .

16. Imhotep Charter, Philadelphia (23-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: In the Philadelphia Public League playoffs, the Panthers rocked Parkway Northwest, 76-34, in the second round and Bartram, 62-52, in the quarterfinals. The semifinals are Tuesday and the final is Sunday at the Palestra.

17. Etiwanda, Calif. (28-1)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Defeated Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 67-62, in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoffs. The Eagles play Mater Dei (Santa Ana) in the semifinals Saturday at California Baptist University in Riverside.

18. Clarkston, Mich. (14-1)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Defeated Troy, 58-49. The Wolves have three games this week as the

19. Westlake, Austin, Texas (31-3)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Defeated Vista Ridge (Cedar Park), 71-43, in the season finale. Played San Antonio Churchill on Monday in the Class 6A bi-district playoffs.

20. Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (21-2)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Trey Williams scored 19 points as the Tigers drilled Juan Diego Catholic (Draper), 75-53.

21. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C. (23-4)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: The Purple Eagles split two WCAC games, losing to archrivals No. 11 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 57-53, but bounced back to beat Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 73-69. Don’t be surprised when the Eagles and DeMatha square off in the WCAC semifinals on Sunday. No. 6 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) is a heavy favorite to reach the tournament final on Monday.

22.  Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (20-4)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Defeated Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 77-36, in the Union County Tournament quarterfinals. The top-seeded Lions play rivals Linden Tuesday in the semifinals. The final is Saturday.

23. Oak Ridge, Orlando, Fla. (24-4)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Won a third straight district title, beating Dr. Phillips (Orlando), 86-64, in the District 5-9A final

24. Garfield, Seattle (24-1)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Upset by Seattle Prep, 55-53, in the Class 3A SeaKing District quarterfinals, but rebounded to take out Cleveland (Seattle), 99-74, and West Seattle (Seattle), 60-53, in the loser’s bracket to the regional qualifier.

25. Wesleyan Christian Academy, High Point, N.C. (26-5)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Defeated Charlotte Country Day, 83-53, in the NCISAA 3A State tournament quarterfinals. Next up is Providence Day School (Charlotte) in the semifinals on Friday afternoon. The final is Saturday afternoon.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (20-2)
2. Hudson Catholic, Jersey City, N.J. (18-4)
3. Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. (24-0)
4. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (31-4)
5. Bonner-Prendergast, Drexel Hill, Pa. (20-3)

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

 Midwest

1. Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul, Minn. (20-1)
2. Orr, Chicago (23-4)
3. Warren Central, Indianapolis (23-0)
4. Curie, Chicago (23-4)
5. Solon, Ohio (20-0)

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

Southland

1. Cox Mill, Concord, N.C. (24-3)
2. Mountain Brook, Birmingham, Ala. (31-4)
3. Pebblebrook, Mableton, Ga. (25-2)
4. Scott County, Georgetown, Ky. (29-1)
5. Meridian, Miss. (29-1)

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

Far West

1. Jefferson, Portland, Ore. (21-3)
2. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (22-3)
3. Gonzaga Prep, Spokane, Wash. (23-0)
4. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (21-6)
5. Olympus, Salt Lake City (22-0)

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

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. 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. Teams with fifth-year players cannot be ranked. 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 @clawlor.