The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, famously called March Madness, unveiled its brackets on Sunday. On the high school basketball front, the excitement unfolded over the past two weeks and is set for one final thrilling weekend. Post an exhilarating March 8-10 weekend for high school hoops, the following one also brought significant developments, reshuffling the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings fueled by Ballislife.com.
In North Carolina, three teams from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) clinched state titles, solidifying their positions in the definitive FAB 50 set for April 8. NCHSAA Class 3A’s Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) outplayed Seventy-First (Fayetteville, N.C.) with a score of 90-62, wrapping up at 33-0 and climbing a rank to No. 8 in this week’s rankings.
Senior forward Josh Dalton led the charge with a notable 22 points, supported by Lees-McRae recruit Desmond Kent Jr., who tallied 20 points in the initial half. The Vikings triumphed over the previously undefeated Hickory (Hickory, N.C.) in the semis with a score of 87-78.
The Vikings will kickstart the 2024-25 season riding a 65-game winning streak, the lengthiest active streak in the nation, after securing the No. 7 spot in the FAB 50 last season with a flawless 32-0 record. Central Cabarrus has triumphed in 95 of its last 96 games.
North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) earned a spot upgrade this week to No. 24 post bagging the Class 4A title by outplaying New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.) 57-47. The Vikings clinched their third state crown with Duke-bound Mr. Basketball USA hopeful Isaiah Evans scoring 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds to vanquish New Hanover, the sole loss for the latter this season.
North Meck’s state triumph bodes well for No. 23 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), who inflicted one of the three defeats on the Vikings. The other losses were to No. 11 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and No. 38 Camden (Camden, N.J.). North Meck also clinched a significant victory over No. 27 Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) where Evans racked up an impressive 48 points.
Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.) ascended seven ranks this week to No. 41 post seizing the NCHSAA Class 2A championship with a perfect 29-0 record. The Rams outperformed Farmville Central (FarmVille, N.C.) by a single point, 78-77, in overtime, orchestrating one of the most impeccably contested championship games of the season.
Reidsville’s victory was steered by junior Johnniyus Sharpe Jr. who contributed a game-high 29 points, including 3-of-6 three-pointers. Sharpe aced all 10 of his free throw attempts under intense pressure, as Reidsville nailed all 13 attempts from the line.
Following in the footsteps of Central Cabarrus, Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) locked in a Top 15 finish in the final FAB 50 rankings by securing a state title, specifically the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) D2 state championship.
The Vikings steamrolled Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.) 83-62, as Duke-bound prospect Kon Knueppel notched 11 points and 11 assists. Wisconsin Lutheran’s pivotal triumph came in the semifinals, toppling Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.) 56-54 on a last-second lay-up by Alex Greene facilitated by a crafty feed from sophomore Zavier Zens. Zens took control of the ball after Knueppel stumbled before offloading it to avoid any foul calls.
Closely trailing Wisconsin Lutheran at the No. 10 position is Fishers (Fishers, Ind.), the top pick to grab the Indiana High School State Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A state championship against Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) on March 30 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Fishers’ lone loss was against a Carmel (Ind.) team with whom they shared victories.
The Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) Sweet 16 is programmed for March 20-23 at Rupp Arena. The Final on March 23 might witness a showdown between FAB 50 ranked teams: No. 25 Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) and one of three fresh faces this week, No. 47 Newport (Newport, Ky.), who already succumbed to Great Crossing’s prowess.
One team from the remaining 16 must emerge victorious twice on March 23 to claim one of the two remaining single-class state tournaments in the nation (the other being Delaware).
No. 36 Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) is vying for its third Minnesota High School League (MHSL) Class 4A state trophy in four years after besting Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) for the second time this season in the sectional final, with a commanding 105-76 score. Creighton commit Jackson McAndrew led the charge with an impressive 40 points.
In Ohio, No. 44 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) joins the ranks alongside Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) Class A titleholder Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.), now debuting at No. 50 this week. Bellevue West clinched their second consecutive state championship by outclassing local rivals Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 57-48, exacting revenge for an earlier defeat to the same team in their fifth consecutive state title matchup.
As for St. Ignatius, they will face off against contender Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) D1 semifinals on March 23 at University of Dayton Arena. The other semi-final will pit Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) against Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio), with Centerville knocking out previous No. 43 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) to advance to the penultimate stage. The championship showdown is scheduled for Sunday at 8:30 pm ET.
Chipotle Nationals Unveiled
The final ranking of all teams will only be determined post the closure of Chipotle Nationals, slated for April 4 – 6 at Brownsburg (Ind.). Five of the top six teams and eight of the top 14 FAB 50 teams will be in contention (previously named GEICO Nationals). The quarterfinal matchups, along with their respective seeds in parentheses, will be broadcasted on ESPNU:
- No. 1 Montverde Academy (1) vs. No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (8), 8 pm ET
- No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (4) vs. No. 2 Columbus (5), 4 pm ET
- No. 6 Prolific Prep (3) vs. No. 11 Link Academy (6), 6 pm ET
- No. 3 Paul VI (2) vs. No. 14 IMG Academy (7), 2 pm ET
The semi-finals on April 5 and the title clash on April 6 (12 pm ET) will be telecasted on ESPN2.
Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(13th survey of 2023-24 regular term; As of matches played on Sunday, March 17; *Shows forfeited wins, forfeited losses not counted; **Shows forfeits and defaults not considered; ***Shows ongoing season.)
| No. | Preceding | High School (City) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 29-0*** |
| 2 | 2 | Columbus (Miami, Fla.) | 27–4*** |
| 3 | 3 | Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) | 33-2*** |
| 4 | 4 | Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 21-4**** |
| 5 | 5 | Plano East (Plano, Texas) | 40-0 |
| 6 | 6 | Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) | 31-5*** |
| 7 | 7 | Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) | 33-3 |
| 8 | 9 | Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) | 33-0 |
| 9 | 10 | Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) | 30-0 |
| 10 | 12 | Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) | 28-1*** |
| 11 | 8 | Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) | 25-6*** |
| 12 | 11 | AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) | 27-5*** |
| 13 | 13 | Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas) | 38-2 |
| 14 | 14 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 18-8*** |
| 15 | 15 | St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) | 29-2 |
| 16 | 16 | Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) | 25-4*** |
| 17 | 17 | Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) | 29-3 |
| 18 | 19 | St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) | 27-1 |
| 19 | 22 | Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) | 27-2 |
| 20 | 21 | Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) | 31-4 |
| 21 | 23 | Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) | 24-6 |
| 22 | 24 | Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) | 30-2 |
| 23 | 26 | McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) | 26-6 |
| 24 | 25 | North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) | 30-3 |
| 25 | 32 | Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) | 34-1*** |
| 26 | 33 | Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) | 27-4 |
| 27 | 27 | Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) | 27-4 |
| 28 | 28 | John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) | 25-3 |
| 29 | 29 | Bullis (Potomac, Md.) | 27-3 |
| 30 | 30 | Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) | 27-4 |
| 31 | 31 | Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) | 28-6 |
| 32 | 36 | St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) | 28-7 |
| 33 | 37 | Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) | 31-2 |
| 34 | 34 | La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) | 23-5 |
| 35 | 35 | Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) | 27-7 |
| 36 | 42 | Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) | 27-1*** |
| 37 | 39 | Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) | 28-4 |
| 38 | 40 | Camden (Camden, N.J.) | 30-2 |
| 39 | 41 | Kell (Marietta, Ga.) | 28-3 |
| 40 | 45 | Homewood Flossmor (Flossmor, Ill.) | 33-4 |
| 41 | 48 | Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.) | 29-0 |
| 42 | 18 | Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 26-3 |
| 43 | 44 | Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) | 25-5 |
| 44 | NR | St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) | 24-3*** |
| 45 | 46 | Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) | 27-2 |
| 46 | 47 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | 29-6 |
| 47 | NR | Newport (Newport, Ky.) | 32-3*** |
| 48 | 49 | Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) | 34-4 |
| 49 | 50 | Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) | 25-0 |
| 50 | NR | Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) | 27-1 |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 20 Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.), No. 38 Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.), No. 43 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Bubble Teams: Arrowhead (Heartland, Wis.) 27-3; Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) 32-5; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 24-5; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 31-5; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 19-8***; Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 28-3; Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 26-3; Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) 23-3; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 31-3; Dale (Dale, Okla.) 30-2; De Paul Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 35-2; De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) 26-2; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 24-4; Fort Bend Clements (Sugar Land, Texas) 32-1; Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) 27-1***; Hickory (Hickory, N.C.) 31-1; Hoover (Hoover, Ala.) 30-3; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 27-3***; Independence (Thompson’s Station, Tenn.) 32-6; Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) 33-3; Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 25-1; Kokomo (Kokomo, Ind.) 25-4; Lehi (Lehi, Utah) 24-4; Lexington (Lexington, S.C.) 28-2; Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 32-3; Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 33-4; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 24-4; Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 25-3***; Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.) 26-4; Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 26-2; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 36-5; Noblesville (Noblesville, Ind.) 22-3; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 31-4; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 21-6; Owasso (Owasso, Okla.) 26-4; Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.) 25-5; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 31-4; Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) 35-4**; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-4; St. Anne’s-Bellfield (Charlottesville, Va.) 26-4; St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 24-3***; St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 31-4; St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) 26-3; Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 21-5; Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 26-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 26-6; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 30-1; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 24-4; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 15-7; Westfield (Westfield, Ind.) 19-3; Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) 25-2***; Woodside (Newport News, Va.) 27-1.































