Top 10 In Kansas

#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 SM South (8-0): Not much to talk about last week, as the Raiders continue to dominate people. They're winning by an average of 25.4 points this season, but that will be put to the test this week if they make the finals of the Tournament of Champions in Dodge City against a team like Wichita North or Scott City.

#4 Ottawa (10-0): Just how good is this team? It's hard to say, but I'll go ahead and give Duke recruit Semi Ojeleye the benefit of the doubt here. He's averaging around 40 points this season and that's sitting out most fourth quarters because of the Cyclones' 33.2 average margin of victory.

#5 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.

#6 Highland Park (8-0): The Scots have compiled one of the most impressive resumes in the state this season. They showed their scoring prowess last week by hanging a 100 on Topeka West. They can prove their legit this week in the Topeka tournament with a potential matchup with Olathe South.

#7 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.

#8 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.

#9 Emporia (7-1): The Spartans recovered from their shocking loss the week before by responding with two big wins last week over the Topeka schools. That wasn't much of a test for Emporia and it should cruise to the Chanute tournament championship and could get a quality match-up with Andover Central.

#10 McPherson (8-1): A 25-point win over previously-unbeaten El Dorado wasn't as much about exposing the Wildcats as it was about exposing the Bullpups as that good. McPherson has rolled through all of its Kansas competition so far, but it can prove just how good it is this week at its home tournament with a potential match-up with SM East in the finals.