Ranking the Top 10 Teams in Wisconsin Regardless of Division
Who are the top 10 teams in the state of Wisconsin regardless of Division? Prep Hoops Wisconsin lays out our top 10 front runners at this point in the season. 1. Nicolet (12-1) The only loss has come by…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWho are the top 10 teams in the state of Wisconsin regardless of Division? Prep Hoops Wisconsin lays out our top 10 front runners at this point in the season.
1. Nicolet (12-1)
The only loss has come by way of an out of state opponent. Of their 12 wins, six have come by 20 or more. The Knights already bested the other favorite in the North Shore Conference, Homestead, 79-62 last month. Nicolet has the best player in the state, Jalen Johnson, who is averaging 20.2 ppg and flirting with a triple-double every night. The crazy thing is, they don’t even need him to score as Jamari Sibley (19.7 ppg), Kobe Johnson (11.3 ppg), James Graham (7.0 ppg), and others are capable of shouldering the load.
2. Sussex Hamilton (7-3)
The Chargers took Nicolet down to the wire and have a big win over Brookfield Central on their resume. After reaching the state semifinals last season, Hamilton reloaded behind Patrick Baldwin Jr. (16.6 ppg) and Tanner Resch (10.4 ppg), featuring a balanced scoring attack filled with shooters that make it difficult for teams to stop any individual entity.
3. Brookfield Central (8-1)
There’s not a ton of separation right now between the top three teams. Central fell to Hamilton in a close one early in the season, but still have one of the state’s best resumes having blown out La Crosse Central and handling Brookfield East and Martin Luther. Gage Malensek (20.4 ppg) is having a big senior season and he’s getting tons of help from the likes of David Joplin (15.9 ppg), Cole Nau (12.2 ppg), and Ben Nau (10.0 ppg) who are all capable of taking over themselves. The way the Lancers defend, they’ll be in every game they play.
4. La Crosse Central (10-1)
This team did get popped by Brookfield Central at the NY2LA Classic, but were victims of an extremely hot individual shooting performance by Ben Nau. The Red Raiders are coming off an 18-point win over Onalaska, a major challenger in Division 2 and won two games at the City of Palms Classic in Florida. Central has one of the deepest starting fives in the state in Johnny Davis (23.9 ppg), Jordan Davis (13.2 ppg), Noah Parcher (10.9 ppg), and Terrance Thompson (5.3 ppg). After reaching the state semifinals a year ago with the same core, the Red Raiders are primed to return to Madison for the fourth-straight year.
5. Martin Luther (8-2)
Despite a couple of losses as of late, Martin Luther still looks like the favorite in Division 3. Trequan Carrington (19.3 ppg), Ace Evans (16.3 ppg), and Xzavier Jones (13.6 ppg) make up arguably the best trio in the Badger State. The Spartans have big wins over the likes of East Troy, Waupun, Racine St. Catherine’s, and Milwaukee Washington have only been knocked off by two Division 1 foes this season.
6. Milwaukee Washington (8-4)
It’s looking like a safe bet that the Generals return to Madison. Last season’s Division 2 runner-up, Washington misses some pieces of their 2017-18 squad, but Deontay Long (22.1 ppg) and Michael Foster (21.8 ppg) are enough to make them a state title threat. Of their four losses, three have come via out of state opponents. Washington may not be as deep, but match up with Central and Nicolet very well.
7. Madison East (13-0)
Slowly, but surely, we’re becoming believers in the Purgolders. East has taken down top dogs in Madison Memorial and Madison La Follette, becoming the favorites in the Big Eight Conference. How much of a threat are they in Division 1? That may not be answered until March. Anthony Washington (18.6 ppg) and Montae Thompson (14.6 ppg) are both having breakout seasons and have East in prime position for a 1-seed in the WIAA State Tournament.
8. Waukesha West (11-1)
When all is said and done, West probably belongs in the top five. Right now, the Wolverines are looking to get past an uncharacteristic blowout loss to Arrowhead and haven’t exactly won by the margins we expected in some of their other games. Without question the talent is there as David Skogman (19.5 ppg), Cameron Palesse (17.1 ppg), Chris Bready (16.5 ppg), and Rocky Martinez (14.9 ppg) are enough to make a state title push in Division 1.
9. Kimberly (10-1)
As expected, Jake Buchanan (20.5 ppg) has taken over this team and the Fox Valley Association. He’s got plenty of help as well from the likes of Reed Miller (11.8 ppg) and Levi Borchert (16.3 ppg). The Papermakers had an odd loss to Appleton East but have rolled through the FVA the rest of the way. There’s a tough slate ahead as Kimberly will play at Oshkosh West, at Kaukauna, and return home to face Neenah in an eight-day span. If they can get through that, the Papermakers will be looking like strong favorites in the FVA and potentially Division 1 as well.
10. Waupun (9-1)
When you talk about their offensive execution and team defense, Waupun can hang with anybody. Yes, Martin Luther beat the Warriors by 15 points at home, but that was thanks to a role player get extremely hot from 3-point range as Waupun led at half. Being at a smaller school and not having the resume as the other nine teams above them, the Warriors won’t get as much respect, but never count out the likes of Marcus Domask (29.0 ppg), Quintin Winterfeldt (12.3 ppg), and Trevor VandeZande (8.0 ppg).
Hardest to Leave Out – Onalaska
It’s hard to knock Onalaska when their only two losses are to teams on this list — Waukesha West and La Crosse Central. But at the end of the day, the Hilltoppers need to find a way to get over that hump, especially as they could face the Red Raiders twice more this season, including potentially with a trip to advance in the state tournament on the line.
More Work to Do – Green Bay Southwest
They’re unbeaten, but Green Bay Southwest has escaped with some tight wins against lesser competition. The Trojans are 11-0 and that’s no small feat against any schedule when you have an ‘X’ on your back. However, we watched them barely survive against Oshkosh West (6-6), who was without Luke Haasl, and let Wisconsin Lutheran (7-6) hang around for 36 minutes. Southwest has some nice wins over Seymour and Sheboygan North, but nothing that clearly defines them as one of the state’s top 10 teams. This may be a squad that has to prove itself in March.
Also Considered: Westosha Central, Homestead, Brookfield East, Kimberly, Arrowhead, Onalaska, Madison Memorial, Green Bay Southwest, Homestead