Week Three Men's Basketball Rankings and Predictions
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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
The week three rankings have been posted the OSSAA and only three teams remained unaffected. The top-ten saw a lot of shuffling around, but only one team dropped out all together. Sand Springs (0-1) and Southmoore (0-3) both dropped out of the rankings and were replaced by Mustang (1-0) and Bartlesville (2-0). Last week Sandite Pride was 12-4 picking games.
No. 1 Midwest City (Last week tied No. 1)
The Bombers (2-0) received nine first-place votes to bump them ahead of Edmond North in overall points after dominating their first two opponents. They took down No. 15 Putnam City (0-1) 86-63 and 5A No. 18 Del City (1-2) 89-51. Keyshawn Embery posted an outstanding 33 points in the onslaught and two other Bombers also doubled against Putnam. They will return to action this weekend at the Edmond Open.
No. 2 Edmond North (1)
Edmond North (1-0) still received the majority of first place votes, twelve, after a 49-40 win over No. 10 Edmond Memorial (0-2), but dipped slightly to second place in overall points. The Huskies will return to action Tuesday against unranked Moore (1-1), then will play the Edmond Open this weekend.
The pick: Edmond 61 Moore 48.
No. 3 Union (3)
The Redskins (0-0) brought in five first-place votes after starting the season a week behind the rest of the State and will begin the year Tuesday at No. 11 Bartlesville (2-0). The Bruins are on a roll, starting off unranked and dropping No. 13 Owasso and No. 14 Sand Springs last week. Union returns four of their top-five scorers from last year.
The pick: Union 50 Bartlesville 40.
No. 4 Putnam City North (9)
Putnam North (2-0) started things off with a bang, doubling 5A No. 6 Bishop McGuinness (0-1) 75-36 and edging out in-town rival No. 4 Putnam West (3-1) 68-65. They'll get a break from top-ten matchups when they travel to unranked Enid (0-2) Tuesday. They will play at the Edmond Open this weekend. The Panthers received one first-place vote.
The pick: Putnam 75 Enid 46
No. 5 Putnam City West (4)
The Patriots (3-1) started the season off hot with a pair of road wins at the Duncanville Thanksgiving Hoopfest, then trounced unranked Enid 83-66 before falling to in-town rival No. 9 Putnam North. They will have another Putnam v Putnam matchup Tuesday when they battle the No. 20 Putnam City Pirates (0-1). The Patriots received two first-place votes.
The pick: West 77 City 68.
No. 6 Norman North (5)
Last year's State Runners-Up (0-1) retained one first-place vote despite a 65-55 loss to Dallas Skyline. Their in-state season will begin at unranked Stillwater (0-2) on Tuesday.
The pick: NN 80 Stillwater 60.
No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (7)
The Wolves (2-0) returned four of their top-six scorers from last year and picked up a pair of dominating wins to start the season under first-year head coach Josh Williams. They shut down No. 10 Edmond Memorial (0-2) 55-38, then hammered unranked Moore (1-1) 76-43. They'll travel to unranked Southmoore (0-3) Tuesday, then will compete in the Edmond Open this weekend.
The pick: ESF 60 Southmoore 38.
No. 8 Westmoore (8)
Westmoore (2-0) graduated only one of their top-six scorers from last season and started off the new year with a pair of ranked wins, topping No. 20 Southmoore (0-3) 66-59 and No. 17 Norman (1-1) 62-59. They return to action Tuesday against unranked Deer Creek (1-1), then will compete at the Durant Tournament this weekend.
The pick: Westmoore 73 Deer Creek 63
No. 9 Booker T. Washington (6)
The Hornets (1-1) picked up a 79-73 win over 5A No. 7 Edison (0-1) to start the season, then fell 63-58 to 5A No. 5 East Central (2-1). They'll host Ozark, Missouri and Columbia Rock Bridge this weekend.
No. 10 Broken Arrow (11)
The Tigers (1-0) got off to a good start, defeating conference foe Bishop Kelley (0-1) 44-41 and will return to action Tuesday when they host unranked Bixby (0-0). ESPN SportsCenter top-ten playmaker Caleb Huffman led the team in their debut with 20 points.
The pick: BA 48 Bixby 46.
No. 11 Bartlesville (unranked)
The Bruins (2-0) showed the preseason polls wrong, scoring upsets over two top-fifteen teams to start the year. They topped No. 14 Sand Springs (0-1) 53-39, then edged out No. 13 Owasso (0-1) 47-42. They'll have their toughest opponent yet when they travel to No. 3 Union. AJ Archambo averaged 13 points over the first two games and Andrew Gronigan averaged 15.
No. 12 Norman (17)
Norman (1-1) split their first two games, scoring a 60-55 win over unranked Stillwater (0-2), but falling 62-59 to No. 8 Westmoore (2-0). They will host No. 19 Yukon (0-1) Tuesday, then will travel to the Duncan Tournament this weekend.
The pick: Norman 60 Yukon 58.
No. 13 Jenks (18)
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-five scorers and will kick off the season Tuesday against No. 17 Sapulpa (0-0)
No. 14 Mustang (unranked)
The Broncos (1-0) jumped into the rankings after a close 56-54 win over unranked Deer Creek (1-1). They travel to No. 15 Edmond Memorial (0-2) Tuesday, then play the Harrah Panther Classic this weekend.
No. 15 Edmond Memorial (10)
The Bulldogs (0-2) got off to a rough start with a pair of top-ten matchups and lost 55-38 to No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (2-0) and only 49-40 to No. 1 Edmond North (1-0). They return to action against No. 14 Mustang (1-0) on Tuesday, then play the Edmond Open this weekend.
The pick: EDM 72 Mustang 68.
No. 16 Owasso (13)
The Rams (0-1) were upset 47-42 by unranked Bartlesville (2-0) in week one and will take on No. 18 Muskogee (0-0) Tuesday before competing at the Tahlequah Tournament this weekend.
The pick: Owasso 74 Muskogee 62.
No. 17 Sapulpa (15)
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 Tuesday against No. 13 Jenks (0-0) and will play the Bishop Kelley Tournament this weekend.
The pick: Sapulpa 48 Jenks 46.
No. 18 Muskogee (19)
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 No. 16 Owasso (0-1), and they will play the Tahlequah Tournament this weekend.
No. 19 Yukon (12)
The Millers (0-1) got off to a rough start in a 62-58 loss to unranked Moore (1-1) and will look to upset No. 12 Norman this Tuesday before competing at the Durant Tournament this weekend.
No. 20 Putnam City (15)
Putnam City (0-1) couldn't have picked a tougher target to start the year with, and fell 86-63 to No. 1 Midwest City (2-0) at home. They showed off depth in the game with eleven players making it on the board, three of whom doubled. They return to action Tuesday with another top-tier matchup against No. 5 Putnam West (3-1).
