JUNCTION CITY
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REC
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GB
| POINTS | POINTS | POINT | ||
| FOR | AGAINST | DIFF | |||||
| 1 | Manhattan | 12-1 | - | 65.3 | 53.8 | 11.5 | |
| 2 | Wichita Southeast | 12-2 | 0.5 | 71.5 | 56.5 | 15.0 | |
| 3 | Lawrence Free State | 10-2 | 1.5 | 65.5 | 57.5 | 8.0 | |
| 4 | Wichita East | 8-5 | 4 | 59.9 | 57.5 | 2.4 | |
| 5 | Derby | 7-7 | 5.5 | 53.7 | 52.3 | 1.4 | |
| 6 | Topeka | 6-7 | 6 | 61.0 | 59.1 | 1.9 | |
| 7 | Junction City | 5-8 | 7 | 54.4 | 55.8 | -1.5 | |
| 8 | Washburn Rural | 3-10 | 9 | 48.5 | 53.7 | -5.2 | |
Derby (7-7)
Remaining Schedule: Campus (2/5), @Maize (2/9), Salina Central (2/12), @Hutchinson (2/16), Newton (2/19), Salina South (2/26).
Outlook: Catching East (8-5) is unlikely, so that means Derby is competing with Topeka (6-7) and Junction City (5-8) for the No. 5 seed. If Derby can take care of Campus, Hutchinson, and Newton, then 10 wins should be enough to secure the No. 5 seed, which means a road trip to either Free State or East in the first round of sub-state.
Junction City (5-8)
Remaining Schedule: @Topeka (2/5), Topeka Hayden (2/9), Highland Park (2/12), @Topeka Seaman (2/16), Emporia (2/19), @Manhattan (2/23), Topeka West (2/26).
Outlook: Right now Junction City is chasing Derby (7-7), but will likely need to close the season 5-2 to earn the No. 5 seed. If Junction City can win swing games against Topeka and Hayden, then snag an upset over Highland Park, Seaman, or Manhattan, then a No. 5 seed is possible. The more likely scenario is that Junction City will be battling with Topeka (6-7) to determine the No. 6 and No. 7 seeds.
Lawrence Free State (10-2)
Remaining Schedule: SM Northwest (2/5), @SM North (2/9), @Olathe South (2/12), SM South (2/16), @Olathe East (2/19), @William Christian Prep (2/20), SM West (2/23), Lawrence (2/26).
Outlook: The toughest schedule remaining in the sub-state belongs to Free State. Olathe East and Lawrence are elite teams, while SM North is extremely good as well. That’s not even mentioning tough games in SM Northwest, Olathe South, SM South, and SM West remaining. It’s so hard to project where Free State will finish, but it’s difficult to imagine Free State keeping pace with Manhattan (12-1) and Southeast (12-2). A strong finish means Free State likely secures the No. 3 seed, but if Free State stumbles then it might be battling East (8-5) for the No. 4 seed.
Manhattan (12-1)
Remaining Schedule: @Topeka West (2/5), @Shawnee Heights (2/9), Washburn Rural (2/12), @Topeka (2/16), Topeka Hayden (2/19), Junction City (2/23), @Topeka Seaman (2/26).
Outlook: The easiest schedule remaining in the sub-state belongs to Manhattan and it appears it is a near-lock for a top seed. Shawnee Heights, Topeka, Hayden, Junction City, and Seaman are tricky games remaining, but Manhattan has beaten all of those teams once and will be favorites in every one of those games. If Manhattan takes care of business, it will likely be the No. 1 seed and, at worst, the No. 2 seed.
Topeka (6-7)
Remaining Schedule: Junction City (2/5), @Topeka Seaman (2/9), Emporia (2/12), Manhattan (2/16), @Topeka West (2/19), Shawnee Heights (2/23), @Washburn Rural (2/26).
Outlook: Right now Topeka is tied with Derby (7-7) in losses, but has a slightly more difficult schedule remaining. It should be able to take care of Emporia, Topeka West, and Washburn Rural and if it can find a way to 11 wins with a pair of wins over some combination of Junction City, Seaman, and Shawnee Heights, then Topeka will give Derby a run for the No. 5 seed. If Topeka stumbles, then it looks like it will be trying to hold off Junction City for the No. 6 seed.
Washburn Rural (3-10)
Remaining Schedule: @Topeka Seaman (2/5), @Emporia (2/9), Manhattan (2/12), @Topeka West (2/16), Shawnee Heights (2/19), Highland Park (2/23), @Topeka (2/26).
Outlook: Given how Washburn Rural competed against the Centennial League the first time around, it has very low chances of escaping the basement. It doesn’t play Junction City (5-8) again, so that means Washburn Rural will have to do some serious work to make up the 2-game difference. It’s looking like the No. 8 seed and a road trip to (likely) Manhattan in the first round of sub-state.
Wichita East (8-5)
Remaining Schedule: Bishop Carroll (2/5), W. West (2/9), @W. South (2/12), W. Northwest (2/16), @Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2/19), W. Heights (2/23), @W. North (2/25).
Outlook: The loss to Southeast on Tuesday eliminates East’s outside chances of snagging a top seed. The best it can hope for now is that it either wins out or takes only one more loss, and then hope Free State takes a lot of bumps in the Sunflower League, which very well could happen. Right now it doesn’t appear in danger of letting its 2-game lead over Derby (7-7) slip away, so it’s looking likely East will host a first-game sub-state game against either Derby or Topeka. If Free State free falls, then East could move up to the No. 3 seed.
Wichita Southeast (12-2)
Remaining Schedule: @W. West (2/5), Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2/9), @Bishop Carroll (2/12), W. North (2/16), W. Heights (2/19), W. Northwest (2/23).
Outlook: The win over East on Tuesday was huge for Southeast, as it passed one of its biggest tests remaining on the schedule. Southeast will now be heavily favored in seven of its last eight games with a huge showdown against Heights on Feb. 19 potentially deciding Southeast’s fate on which side of the bracket it falls on. Southeast could tie for the top seed if Manhattan stumbles in the Centennial League if it wins out. More likely, Southeast will coast to the No. 2 seed and home-court advantage throughout the sub-state with a first-round game against (likely) Junction City.
OLATHE NORTH
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REC
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GB
| POINTS | POINTS | POINT | ||
| FOR | AGAINST | DIFF | |||||
| 1 | Olathe East | 11-2 | - | 59.3 | 51.2 | 8.2 | |
| 2 | Blue Valley Northwest | 10-3 | 1 | 64.0 | 49.8 | 14.2 | |
| 3 | Blue Valley | 10-3 | 1 | 60.2 | 55.7 | 4.5 | |
| 4 | Olathe North | 9-4 | 2 | 62.1 | 55.1 | 7.0 | |
| 5 | Olathe South | 9-4 | 2 | 60.0 | 52.7 | 7.3 | |
| 6 | Blue Valley North | 8-5 | 3 | 57.7 | 55.1 | 2.6 | |
| 7 | Blue Valley West | 6-7 | 5 | 50.5 | 52.6 | -2.2 | |
| 8 | Gardner-Edgerton | 5-9 | 6.5 | 53.0 | 59.9 | -6.9 | |
Blue Valley (10-3)
Remaining Schedule: @BV North (2/5), BV Southwest (2/9), @St. Thomas Aquinas (2/12), @Gardner-Edgerton (2/16), @Bishop Miege (2/19), BV North (2/23), @BV West (2/26).
Outlook: Blue Valley has kept pace with BV Northwest (10-3) so far this season and it’s looking like it come down to those two teams to determine who gets the homecourt advantage through the sub-state. Northwest has won the matchup twice already this season, so Blue Valley will have to avoid a tie to earn the top seed. The EKL is absolutely loaded this season, so it’s going to be really difficult to avoid another loss (or two) with that schedule. It’s looking like whichever team can avoid taking more than one more loss will be the top seed, barring a collapse from Olathe East (11-2) opening the door for both.
Blue Valley North (8-5)
Remaining Schedule: Blue Valley (2/5), @BV West (2/6), @Gardner-Edgerton (2/12), BV Northwest (2/16), BV Southwest (2/19), @Blue Valley (2/23), St. Thomas Aquinas (2/26).
Outlook: It’s going to be a tight race between Olathe North (9-4) and Olathe South (9-4), so BV North will need to grab as many wins in swing games against BV West, Gardner-Edgerton, BV Southwest, and Aquinas. A win over Blue Valley (twice) or BV Northwest would be huge and likely secure BV North a first-round home game. If not, then BV North is likely headed for a No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
Blue Valley Northwest (10-3)
Remaining Schedule: @St. Thomas Aquinas (2/5), Gardner-Edgerton (2/9), Bishop Miege (2/12), @BV North (2/16), BV West (2/19), St. Thomas Aquinas (2/23), @BV Southwest (2/26).
Outlook: The defending state champions have taken a few surprising losses this season, but are still in contention for a top seed. It will be in competition with Olathe East (11-2) and Blue Valley (10-3), a team it has already beaten twice this season. Northwest has to go through the rigors of the EKL, so nothing is given, but whichever team of those three can avoid taking more than one more loss this season will more than likely take home a top seed and home-court advantage through the sub-state.
Blue Valley West (6-7)
Remaining Schedule: @Bishop Miege (2/5), BV North (2/6), BV Southwest (2/12), @St. Thomas Aquinas (2/16), @BV Northwest (2/19), Bishop Miege (2/23), Blue Valley (2/26).
Outlook: Making up a 2-game difference on BV North will be no easy chore, but BV West can help its case if it can knock off BV North head-to-head on Saturday. Still, the schedule is absolutely brutal in the EKL this year. Miege, BV Northwest, and Blue Valley are three of my top 10 teams in the state and those teams make up four of BV West’s final seven games. It’s looking like BV West will be the best No. 7 seed in the state and be an incredibly difficult draw for whichever team finishes second.
Gardner-Edgerton (5-9)
Remaining Schedule: @BV Southwest (2/5), @BV Northwest (2/9), BV North (2/12), Blue Valley (2/16), @St. Thomas Aquinas (2/19), Bishop Miege (2/26).
Outlook: It’s not looking pretty for Gardner-Edgerton. The schedule is absolutely brutal with dates against elite teams in five of the remaining six games and the other one (a trip to BV Southwest) is against a good team that’s catching fire right now. Gardner-Edgerton won’t be favored in another game this season, so it looks like it’s headed for the No. 8 seed right now.
Olathe East (11-2)
Remaining Schedule: SM North (2/5), @SM South (2/9), Olathe North (2/12), SM Northwest (2/16), Lawrence Free State (2/19), Leavenworth (2/23), @Olathe South (2/26).
Outlook: East has been fantastic this season and will have to have a strong finish to the season to secure a No. 1 seed in a sub-state. Six of the seven remaining games are against quality teams, so there’s going to be a minefield to cross for East to hold off BV Northwest (10-3) and Blue Valley (10-3). East does have a 1-game advantage over both teams and plays a slightly easier schedule, so it’s looking likely that East will wind up with home-court advantage as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.
Olathe North (9-4)
Remaining Schedule: @SM East (2/5), SM West (2/9), @Olathe East (2/12), @Leavenworth (2/16), @Lawrence (2/19), SM South (2/23), Olathe Northwest (2/26).
Outlook: North will be scoreboard watching Olathe South (9-4) and BV North (8-5). BV North has the more difficult schedule, so Olathe North has a chance to go after the No. 4 seed and a first-round home game. North needs to take care of Leavenworth and Olathe Northwest, then win a couple swing games against SM East, SM West, and SM South. It’s going to be a close finish between BV North, Olathe North, and Olathe South, so which teams win their swing games will likely determine the fate of the No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 seeds.
Olathe South (9-4)
Remaining Schedule: @Leavenworth (2/5), SM East (2/9), Lawrence Free State (2/12), @SM West (2/16), @Olathe Northwest (2/19), SM North (2/23), Olathe East (2/26).
Outlook: South has a much easier schedule than BV North (8-5) and a 1-game advantage to work with, so it could end up being between it and Olathe North (9-4). The two don’t play each other down the stretch, so South will need to take care of the ones it should against Leavenworth and Olathe Northwest and then snag one or both from SM East and SM West. A win over Free State or Olathe East would be a huge swing and likely secure South a first-round home game as a No. 4 seed.
SM SOUTH
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REC
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GB
| POINTS | POINTS | POINT | ||
| FOR | AGAINST | DIFF | |||||
| 1 | Lawrence | 12-1 | - | 66.6 | 58.1 | 8.5 | |
| 2 | Shawnee Mission North | 9-4 | 3 | 67.9 | 58.4 | 9.5 | |
| 3 | Shawnee Mission Northwest | 7-6 | 5 | 56.8 | 58.2 | -1.5 | |
| 4 | Shawnee Mission South | 6-7 | 6 | 55.8 | 54.6 | 1.2 | |
| 5 | Shawnee Mission West | 5-8 | 7 | 57.8 | 63.3 | -5.5 | |
| 6 | Olathe Northwest | 5-8 | 7 | 51.2 | 51.7 | -0.5 | |
| 7 | Shawnee Mission East | 3-10 | 9 | 61.3 | 63.8 | -2.5 | |
| 8 | Kansas City Wyandotte | 3-10 | 9 | 47.6 | 61.5 | -13.8 | |
Kansas City Wyandotte (3-10)
Remaining Schedule: @Atchison (2/5), @KC Sumner (2/9), @KC Harmon (2/11), @KC Washington (2/16), KC East (2/17), @KC Schlagle (2/19), Atchison (2/23).
Outlook: The easiest remaining schedule, by far, in the sub-state belongs to Wyandotte, but the worst team in the sub-state, by far, is also Wyandotte. Right now Wyandotte is tied with SM East (3-10), which plays an absolute brutal schedule, so it is feasible that Wyandotte could end up being the No. 7 seed. But right now it’s certain that Wyandotte will be on the road in the first round as a last seed.
Lawrence (12-1)
Remaining Schedule: SM South (2/5), @SM Northwest (2/9), @Olathe Northwest (2/12), SM North (2/16), Olathe North (2/19), SM East (2/23), @Lawrence Free State (2/26).
Outlook: There are still a lot of tough challenges remaining on Lawrence’s schedule, but armed with a 3-game lead over SM North for the No. 1 seed and a 5-game lead over SM Northwest for the No. 2 seed, it’s difficult to imagine Lawrence losing that. The Lions, who are my top-ranked team in the state, appear likely to finish at the No. 1 seed and face either Wyandotte or SM East in the first round with home-court advantage throughout.
Olathe Northwest (5-8)
Remaining Schedule: @SM West (2/5), Leavenworth (2/9), Lawrence (2/12), @SM East (2/16), Olathe South (2/19), SM Northwest (2/23), @Olathe North (2/26).
Outlook: There are no gimme’s left on the schedule and if things go well, then Northwest is looking at a possible first-round home game and if things go poorly then it’s looking like the No. 7 seed is the bottom for Northwest. It will be in competition with SM Northwest (7-6), SM South (6-7), SM West (5-8), and SM East (3-10) in the final weeks, as Olathe Northwest plays all of them but South. It’s too early to speculate where Northwest will fall, but this Friday at SM West is a pretty big swing game for both teams with the winner building some momentum for that first-round home game charge.
Shawnee Mission East (3-10)
Remaining Schedule: Olathe North (2/5), @Olathe South (2/9), @SM Northwest (2/12), Olathe Northwest (2/16), Leavenworth (2/19), @Lawrence (2/23), @SM South (2/26).
Outlook: The start to the season has been a brutal one for SM East, which has played the most difficult schedule in the state to this point. It eases up a bit, but there are still a lot of good teams left on the schedule. If East can take care of Leavenworth and Olathe Northwest, then win a swing game over someone else then it could climb out of the bottom of the standings and sneak in for a No. 6 or No. 5 seed.
Shawnee Mission North (9-4)
Remaining Schedule: @Olathe East (2/5), Lawrence Free State (2/9), SM West (2/12), @Lawrence (2/16), SM South (2/19), @Olathe South (2/23), @SM Northwest (2/26).
Outlook: Right now SM North holds a 2-game advantage for home-court advantage through the sub-state over SM Northwest, but it still has to play Olathe East, Free State, and Lawrence - three of the top teams in the state. So that means it could come down to how well it can do in those other four games (with a possible big game at SM Northwest in the finale) to determine if SM North can hold off Northwest for the No. 2 seed.
Shawnee Mission Northwest (7-6)
Remaining Schedule: @Lawrence Free State (2/5), Lawrence (2/9), SM East (2/12), @Olathe East (2/16), @SM West (2/19), @Olathe Northwest (2/23), SM North (2/26).
Outlook: Northwest has an outside chance at catching SM North (9-4) for the No. 2 seed and home-court advantage throughout, but it is struggling at the moment and has a really tough schedule coming up. Northwest plays Free State and Lawrence next, then games against SM East, SM West, and SM North could determine where Northwest falls in this sub-state.
Shawnee Mission South (6-7)
Remaining Schedule: @Lawrence (2/5), Olathe East (2/9), Leavenworth (2/12), @Lawrence Free State (2/16), @SM North (2/19), @Olathe North (2/23), SM East (2/26).
Outlook: Games against elite teams (Lawrence, Olathe East, Free State, SM North) are going to be tough, which would be 11 losses right there, so South is going to have to do well in its other three games to hold off SM West and Olathe Northwest for that No. 4 seed and a home-court game in the first round.
Shawnee Mission West (5-8)
Remaining Schedule: Olathe Northwest (2/5), @Olathe North (2/9), @SM North (2/12), Olathe South (2/16), SM Northwest (2/19), @Lawrence Free State (2/23), @Leavenworth (2/26).
Outlook: The same is true for every Shawnee Mission team in this sub-state. SM West is 1 game behind SM South (6-7), 2 games behind SM Northwest (7-6), and 4 games behind SM North (9-4). Making that up will be difficult since West only plays one of those teams remaining and West still has a lot of really tough games left. To mount a comeback, a win over Olathe Northwest this Friday is a near must.
W. NORTHWEST
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REC
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GB
| POINTS | POINTS | POINT | ||
| FOR | AGAINST | DIFF | |||||
| 1 | Wichita South | 7-7 | - | 63.5 | 60.4 | 3.1 | |
| 2 | Dodge City | 5-8 | 1.5 | 54.2 | 54.4 | -0.2 | |
| 3 | Wichita Northwest | 5-9 | 2 | 58.0 | 62.5 | -4.5 | |
| 4 | Garden City | 5-9 | 2 | 55.3 | 59.5 | -4.2 | |
| 5 | Wichita North | 4-10 | 3 | 55.6 | 64.6 | -9.1 | |
| 6 | Wichita West | 3-11 | 4 | 46.5 | 60.1 | -13.6 | |
| 7 | Campus | 3-11 | 4 | 42.2 | 50.8 | -8.6 | |
| 8 | Hutchinson | 1-12 | 5.5 | 40.7 | 57.8 | -17.1 | |
Campus (3-11)
Remaining Schedule: @Derby (2/5), Hutchinson (2/9), Maize (2/12), @Newton (2/16), @Salina Central (2/19), Salina South (2/23).
Outlook: The game against Hutchinson (1-12) next Tuesday will be big for Campus. A win and then an upset (at Newton on Feb. 16?) could vault Campus into a tie for North for the No. 6 seed. But a loss to Hutchinson could doom Campus and bring the two teams into a tie for the No. 7 seed. But odds are that Campus will finish as the No. 7 seed in this sub-state.
Dodge City (5-8)
Remaining Schedule: McPherson (2/5), Garden City (2/8), @Ulysses (2/9), @Garden City (2/16), Great Bend (2/19), @Hays (2/23), Liberal (2/25).
Outlook: Dodge City has an easier schedule than South (7-7), the team it is chasing for the No. 1 seed. Two games against Garden City could prove crucial. If Dodge City sweeps that match-up and takes care of Ulysses and Great Bend, then it could all but wrap up a top seed in this sub-state with homecourt advantage with the chance to punch its ticket to the state meet.
Garden City (5-9)
Remaining Schedule: @Guymon, Okla. (2/5), @Dodge City (2/8), Great Bend (2/12), Dodge City (2/16), @Hays (2/19), @Liberal (2/23).
Outlook: It’s tough to predict where Garden City could finish in this sub-state. A road trip to Guymon could be huge. A win there would all but guarantee Garden City a home-round game in the first round, as 6 or 7 wins would likely be enough in this sub-state. Two games against Dodge City will be crucial, as the winner there would likely be the frontrunner to earn a top seed in this sub-state. The bad news is that Garden City is on the road four of its final six games, so it will have to do some serious work to earn the No. 2 seed. If things go wrong, then Garden City could fall to the No. 5 seed.
Hutchinson (1-12)
Remaining Schedule: Maize (2/5), @Campus (2/9), @Salina South (2/12), Derby (2/16), @McPherson (2/19), Newton (2/23), @Salina Central (2/26).
Outlook: To escape the basement, Hutchinson will need to win at Campus on Feb. 9 and beat Newton at home on Feb. 23 and hope that Campus loses out to finish in a tie for the No. 7 seed. If that doesn’t happen, then Hutchinson will finish as the No. 8 seed and play on the road at (likely) Wichita South.
Wichita North (4-10)
Remaining Schedule: @Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2/5), W. Heights (2/9), W. West (2/12), @W. Southeast (2/16), @W. Northwest (2/19), W. East (2/25).
Outlook: Right now North is on a 5-game losing streak, which has shot its chances of securing a first-round home game in this sub-state. It still has to play the trifecta of Heights, Southeast, and East, so that makes the other three games - at Kapaun, West, and at Northwest - crucial. If North wants to avoid falling to possibly as low as the No. 7 seed, then it’s going to need to win at least one more and if it wants to move up in the standings then it will likely need to win all three of those swing games.
Wichita Northwest (5-9)
Remaining Schedule: @W. Heights (2/5), Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2/12), @W. East (2/16), W. North (2/19), @W. Southeast (2/23), W. South (2/25).
Outlook: Like North, Northwest still has to play Heights, East, and Southeast in the City League. So that leaves three other games - Kapaun, North, and South, all at home - that will determine if Northwest will play at home in the first round. It’s looking like it will compete against Dodge City (5-8) and Garden City (5-9) for the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 seeds.
Wichita South (7-7)
Remaining Schedule: Bishop Carroll (2/9), W. East (2/12), @W. Heights (2/16), @W. West (2/19), Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2/23), @W. Northwest (2/25).
Outlook: The Carroll game on Tuesday will be a big one for South, as it will try to hold off Dodge City (5-8) and Garden City (5-9) for the No. 1 overall seed. But even then, it’s looking likely that South will finish with home-court advantage if it can reach 10 wins.
Wichita West (3-11)
Remaining Schedule: W. Southeast (2/5), @W. East (2/9), @W. North (2/12), W. South (2/19), @Bishop Carroll (2/23), @Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2/25).
Outlook: West has only won once in the City League this season, so unless something changes, it’s looking like West will be hoping Campus (3-11) loses out and Hutchinson (1-12) doesn’t catch up, either. If that’s the case, then West could hold on for the No. 6 seed. But if West can knock off North on Feb. 12, then it could potentially move up to the No. 5 seed and potentially favorably match-up at Garden City in the first round.
