Week 2 Men's Basketball Rankings and Predictions
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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
Though only two 6A games have been played since the first OSSAA High School Basketball rankings were released a week ago, several teams have shuffled around in the standings. Here's the breakdown on what to expect this season, as well as our Editorial Board's pick for the week two games.
No. 1 (tied) Edmond North Huskies (last week No. 1)
Receiving seven first-place votes is last season's 27-1 State Semi-finalists. The Huskies (0-0) went undefeated all season before falling to eventual State Champion, Putnam City West. They graduated three of their top-five scorers, but return Oklahoma Baptist commit Harrison Stoddard and Lehigh commit Marques Wilson to anchor an annual powerhouse program. They also picked up three quality transfers in Damion Thornton, formerly of U.S. Grant, and Marvin Johnson and Carlos Coppage, both formerly of 5A No. 8 Ardmore. They'll start the year with a heavyweight matchup against No. 5 Norman North (0-0) on the 29th.
The picks:
Edmond North 74, Norman North 72.
Edmond North 72, Edmond Memorial 70.
Edmond North 85, Moore 70.
No. 1 (tied) Midwest City (last week No. 2)
Midwest City picked up two first-place votes this week, tying them in overall points with Edmond North. The Bombers are unique in that they didn't even qualify for State last year, despite going 22-4 and losing only to State-Qualifying teams. They have graduated two of their top-five scorers from last season, but return three juniors including the explosive Keyshawn Embery. Their year begins on the 29th against No. 15 Putnam City (0-0).
The picks:
MWC 82, PC 70
MWC 71, Lawton 50
MWC 89, Del City 50.
No. 3 Union (Last week No. 4)
The Union Redskins bumped up a spot with six first-place votes, putting them just one point behind the top-two teams. They qualified for State last year but fell in the opening round to the eventual Champions and ended the season 22-5. They had a fifteen-game winning streak before their season ended, and will return four of their top-five scorers from last year. They begin the season December 6th against unranked Bartlesville.
The pick: Union 50, Bartlesville 40.
No. 4 Putnam City West (Last week No. 5)
The returning State Champions (2-0) graduated two of their leading scorers after finishing last season 24-5, and return three starting seniors. They picked up nine first-place votes after picking up wins of 75-68 against Dallas Kimball (3-2) and 77-75 against Euless Trinity (3-1) at the Nike Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Duncanville, Texas. They will take on unranked Enid (0-0) on the 29th.
The pick:
PCW 76, Enid 45.
PCW 67, PCN 66
PCW 70, PC 68
No. 5 Norman North (Last week No. 3)
Last year's State Runners-Up (0-0) slipped in the rankings, but retained one first-place vote. They finished the season 24-4 after losing by a single point in the Finals. They graduated three of their top-five scorers, but retained Iowa State football recruit Charlie Kolar and Trae Young, the point guard ranked number two in the nation by ESPN, who averaged 33 points per game.
The pick: NN 80, Stillwater 60
No. 6 Booker T. Washington (Last week No. 7)
The Hornets (0-0) lost senior forward Tariq Bitson, but returns an otherwise salty team that went 19-8 last season for a State Tournament performance. The Hornets swept the Green Country Conference Championship last season, which features mostly 5A teams, but performed well on the 6A circuit as well before falling 73-67 to Edmond North in the opening round of State. Their season kicks off on the 29th against 5A No. 7 Edison Prep.
The picks:
BTW 66, Edison 50.
BTW 65, East Central 60
BTW 70, Nathan Hale 62
No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (Last week No. 6)
The Wolves (0-0) are looking good this year, returning four of their top-six scorers from last season, with the addition of first-year head coach Josh Williams. Last year they went 16-11 and fell to Putnam North in Area. Of those eleven losses, six were to top-five teams. Williams spent the last five season at No. 10 Edmond Memorial (0-0) as an assistant, and helped the Bulldogs to four State Tournament appearances with one Title and one Runner-Up performance. He will return to Memorial on the 29th for Edlam to start the season.
The picks:
ESF 78, EDM 76.
ESF 84, Moore 60
ESF 82, Southmoore 70
No. 8 Westmoore (Last week No. 8)
Westmoore (0-0) returns a young but talented team after going 14-10 last season and falling at Regionals. The Jags graduated only one of their top-six scorers, and return four sophomores and a junior to anchor a team that will be looking sharp for season to come. Of their eight in-state losses, nine were to top-ten teams. They will start the season on the 29th at No. 20 Southmoore (0-0).
The picks:
West 72, South 52.
West 74, Norman 62.
West 73, Deer Creek 63
No. 9 Putnam City North (Last week No. 9)
Putnam North (0-0) finished last season 19-9 with a State Tournament appearance, but took a heavy blow in graduated SNU freshman Micah Speight, who also had an offer from ORU. They return four of their top-five scorers and will start the season on the 29th with a home game against 5A. No. 6 Bishop McGuinness (0-0).
The picks:
PCN 68, McGuiness 54.
PCN 75, Enid 50.
No. 10 Edmond Memorial (Last week No. 12)
The Bulldogs (0-0) finished last season 18-9 with a State Tournament appearance, but graduated two of their top-five scorers including University of Oklahoma freshman Kristian Doolittle.
The pick: EDM 72, Mustang 68
No. 11 Broken Arrow (Last week No. 10)
The Tigers (0-0) had a rough season last year, finishing 9-17, then graduating three of their top-five scorers. They retained ESPN SportsCenter top-ten playmaker Caleb Huffman, who led the team overall, but will need to bolster their ranks if they want to make it past Area this year. The Tigers will start the season December 2nd against 5A unranked Bishop Kelley (0-0).
The pick:
BA 51, BK 48.
BA 48, Bixby 46.
No. 12 Yukon (Last week No. 11)
Yukon (0-0) returns a highly experienced team with all five of their leading scorers in tact. The Millers went 11-13 last season with only one loss to an unranked team. They will start the season on the 29th against unranked Moore (0-0).
The picks:
Yukon 65, Moore 50.
Yukon 60, Norman 50.
No. 13 Owasso (Last week No. 14)
The Rams (0-0) finished last season 19-8 with an overtime loss to Booker T. at Area. They lost two of their top scorers in Kinzer Lambert and Rogers State freshman DeShannon Lowe, but return Josh Proctor, Jake Thompson, and Courte Alexander. They will kick off the season December 6th against No. 19 Muskogee (0-0).
The pick: Owasso 74, Muskogee 62.
No. 14 Sand Springs (Last week No. 19)
The Charles Page High School program (0-0) has improved every year since former 5A State Championship winning coach Eric Savage, formerly of Tulsa Memorial, took over in 2013. Last year they started the season with seven-straight wins before running out of momentum at the end of the season. They finished 14-10 with an overtime loss to Broken Arrow at Regionals. They graduated only one starter, but lost leading-scorer Brooks Haddock on a transfer to No. 19 Muskogee. They still return four solid scorers and several talented young players and will kick off the season on the 29th at unranked Bartlesville (0-0).
The picks:
Sand Springs 66, Bartlesville 64.
Sand Springs 57, Bishop Kelley 53.
No. 15 (tied) Putnam City (last week No. 13)
The Pirates (0-0) finished last year 14-12, falling at Area 97-60 to Edmond Memorial. Since then they have graduated their top-two scorers.
No. 15 (tied) Sapulpa (Last week No. 18)
The Chieftains (0-0) had a solid season last year, finishing 19-7 after a 68-59 loss to Edmond Santa Fe at Area. They lost three big scorers from last season, but return their top-two in Keenan Balance and Julian Smith. Their season begins on December 6th against No. 18 Jenks (0-0).
The pick: Sapulpa 48, Jenks 46
No. 17 Norman (Last week No. 15)
Norman (0-0) finished last season 3-21 after a 91-33 loss to Mutang at Regionals, but look to rebuild under former Midwest City State Championship coach Rodney Dindy. The season begins on the 29th against unranked Stillwater.
The pick: Norman 63, Stillwater 57.
No. 18 Jenks (Last week No. 17)
The Trojans (0-0) are coming off a 12-11 season with a 72-63 loss to Edmond Santa Fe at Regionals. They graduated three of their top scorers and will kick off the season December 6th against Sapulpa.
No. 19 Muskogee (Previously unranked)
The Roughers (0-0) are coming off a 14-9 season that ended in a 71-69 overtime loss to Booker T. at Regionals. Their team received a solid addition this year in the Sandites' top-scoring transfer Brooks Haddock Their season begins December 6th against Owasso.
No. 20 Southmoore (Previously unranked)
Southmoore (0-0) is coming off an 11-16 season that ended in a 60-34 loss to Putnam West at Area. Their season begins on the 29th against No. 8 Westmoore.
The picks:
Carl Albert 67, South 52.
Memorial 82, South 70
