AIA 5A Boy’s Basketball Rankings 1/4/2019
Now that we are about halfway through the season, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at the current rankings and see how things have changed since the first rankings. We will take a look at the top…
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Continue ReadingNow that we are about halfway through the season, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at the current rankings and see how things have changed since the first rankings. We will take a look at the top 10 5A rankings and discuss those top teams, while also predicting how the season will play out.
1. Ironwood 9-0 (No Change)
2. Gilbert 8-0 (No Change)
3. Apollo 9-0 (No Change)
4. McClintock 7-1 (No Change)
5. Millennium 7-2 (No Change)
6. Buena 7-1 (No Change)
7. Cactus Shadows 8-1 (No Change)
8. Casteel 6-3 (Moved up from #9 to #8)
9. Sunnyslope 4-3 (Moved down from #8 to #9)
10. Central 6-2 (New)
Consistency
I’ve gone on record and said that 5A is the most competitive division in the state this year. I think the rankings prove my point. There has been no drastic changes in the Top 10 rankings, and if there were changes, they were small. There are a lot of high quality teams in 5A and I think the field is wide open at this point, surely to make for a very interesting playoff.
Title Contenders
While there are very quality teams in 5A and I think the playoffs are going to be extremely wild and unpredictable, I still have 4 teams in mind that I think have the best chance of winning state. Ironwood, Apollo, Gilbert, and Millennium are all teams that you simply do not want to face come playoff time. All four teams have had great seasons too and have demonstrated steady improvements throughout the season.
The Toughest Region in all of AZ
I firmly believe that the toughest region in all of Arizona is the 5A Northwest. The rankings should provide evidence to my claim. Ironwood is currently sitting at #1, Apollo is #3, Sunnyslope is #9, Sunrise Mountain is #11, and Centennial is #13. Region play could shake the landscape of 5A up quite a bit. Things are about to get very interesting.