#1 Blue Valley Northwest (6-0): No one is touching them as long as the record is unbeaten. No one has the number of top-notch victories like BV Northwest and it has shredded competition in Kansas so far. I would be surprised if anyone comes within 20 points of them in the Valley Center tournament this week.
#2 SM East (8-0): The solid victories just keep piling up, as I think this is one of the more under-rated teams in the state. A last-second victory over SM West saves the undefeated season, which should receive a stern test this week in the McPherson Invitational if a showdown between the host Bullpups develops.
#3 Wichita North (8-0): It's easy to say that Conner Frankamp and his 35-point average is the cause for the dramatic improvement this season. But take a look at North's defense, which is holding teams to just 46.6 points this season. The two biggest tests of the season will be waiting for the Redskins in Dodge City this week.
#4 Olathe South (6-2): It was a rough week for South, which dropped both of its games last week by 4 points on the road at Leavenworth and Lawrence. You would have liked to see South at least pull a split there, but South still has a quality resume. A good performance in Topeka this week is needed.
#5 Olathe East (7-1): Surviving by 2 points on the road to North was a surprise, but a win is a win. The Hawks go out of state this week to the Liberty Invitational, so it's going to be hard to say where they are at about halfway through the season. So far it's looking pretty good, though.
#6 Blue Valley North (5-3): A tremendous start to the season came to a halt with back-to-back losses to BV West, by 7 points, and Gardner-Edgerton, by 8 points. Now those are horrible losses, but they were definitely winnable games. North needs a strong bounce back this week at the SM West Invitational.
#7 Wichita East (6-2): After a 1-2 start to the season, the Blue Aces have worked their way into the rankings with solid wins. They don't have a head-turning one yet, but they've taken care of business and don't have a bad loss. They'll test their record against the northeastern part of the state this week at the loaded Topeka Invitational.
#8 Derby (8-2): The loss of senior leading scorer Taylor Schieber is really starting to turn up for the Panthers, which are 2-2 without him. Back-to-back losses to Andover Central and Salina Central last week have Derby reeling a bit, and it will take great games to keep it from continuing as Derby heads to the loaded side of the Dodge City tournament this week.
#9 SM West (5-3): The Vikings were a last-second shot away from pulling off a huge upset over SM East. After a slow start, that game shows how much potential this team has. Don't be surprised if it can hold on and pull off an upset this week at its own tournament.
#10 BV West (4-3): The Jaguars got blown out by BV Northwest, but then turned around and registered a solid victory over BV North on the road. That brings West into the rankings, but it will have to work to keep its spot as it has a potential second round matchup with SM East in the McPherson Invitational this week.
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