Minnesota High School Boys Basketball State Rankings

The 2026 Minnesota high school boys basketball season is almost over, so here are the final High School On SI statewide rankings before the state tournament begins on March 24.

No. 1 Tartan (29-0)

Previous ranking: 1

Next game: March 24 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: The Titans got over the hump in the section final after last season’s team was derailed in this same round after an undefeated record to that point. This time, they’re undefeated again and state bound. While Tartan has yet to get a crack at reigning state champion and No. 2 Wayzata (25-3), it’s beat almost every other state title contender remaining in Class 4A.

The Titans punched their ticket out of Section 4-4A as the top seed beating No. 3 seed and state No. 7 Cretin-Derham Hall (23-6) 69-61 in overtime at home. The Raiders were held to three points in the four-minute overtime period. Star K.J. Wilson led all scorers with 25 points to go with 18 for Emmanuel Oyesanmi. The Titans are back at state for the first time since 2014.

No. 2 Wayzata (25-3)

Previous ranking: 2

Next game: March 24 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: Top seed Wayzata got talented guard Isaac Olmsted back from injury for its Section 6-4A semifinals matchup vs. No. 4 seed Edina (13-15), though the Trojans likely would have been just fine without him. Wayzata cruised 91-62 led by 25 points from Christian Wiggins. Getting by the Hornets that easily wasn’t a huge shock, but the whooping the Trojans put on previous state No. 4 and section No. 2 seed Hopkins (21-8) certainly was.

Wayzata rolled 105-70 to beat the Royals in the section title game for the fourth straight year and to win the section for the sixth straight year. Wiggins was honored on this day for becoming Wayzata’s all-time leading scorer. He put on a show with a game-high 30 points. Nolen Anderson added 23 in a game the Trojans led 56-34 at halftime.

No. 3 Totino-Grace (24-2)

Previous ranking: 3

Next game: March 25 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: The No. 1 seed Eagles faced zero pushback in a pair of dominating performances en route to a Section 5-3A championship. Last week, Totino-Grace dominated No. 2 seed Becker (22-7) 79-44 in St. Francis. Dothan Ijadimbola led T-G with 20 points. The Eagles have won 19 straight and remain undefeated against Class 3A competition.

No. 4 Maple Grove (23-6)

Previous ranking: 5

Next game: March 24 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: Maple Grove must be glad it’s not in the loaded Section 6-4A with some of its Lake Conference brethren. The Crimson took advantage of a weak Section 5 bracket, capping off the tournament with a 73-61 win vs. No. 2 seed and state No. 20 Osseo (22-7).

Max Iversen dropped 28 points. Maple Grove got off to a fast start against its border rival, leading by 14 at halftime. The Crimson have lost a few more games this season than I might have thought, but a season sweep of No. 2 Wayzata (25-3) shows they can play with anyone.

No. 5 DeLaSalle (26-3)

Previous ranking: 6

Next game: March 25 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: The Islanders are section champions for an incredible 15th straight time. What looked like a good matchup on paper turned out to be a blowout in the Section 4-3A championship.

No. 1 seed and host DeLaSalle pulled away from a five-point halftime advantage to beat No. 2 seed and former state No. 14 Mahtomedi (25-4) 67-46. Deon Wallace-Johnson led DLS with 14 points. Evan Miller, Ichima Idoko and Kamar Thomas each had 12. It was an impressive performance for the Islanders given top dog Jaeden Udean finished with just eight.

No. 6 Richfield (27-2)

Previous ranking: 7

Next game: March 25 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: Richfield proved it was the superior Spartans with an 87-58 win as the top seed in the Section 6-3A championship vs. No. 2 seed Orono (18-11). Gideon Horne led with 21 points, followed by 20 for Waleed Muhammad and 18 for Tyrece Hagler. Richfield’s only losses this season came to No. 5 DeLaSalle (26-3), a team it split with, and No. 3 Totino-Grace (24-2).

No. 7 Cretin-Derham Hall (23-6)

Previous ranking: 8

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: The Raiders are clearly among the top eight teams in Class 4A, but the cookie crumbled that they had to face state No. 1 in the Section 4 final. No. 3 seed Cretin-Derham Hall gave a valiant effort to end Tartan’s (29-0) undefeated season but came up just shy in a 69-61 overtime road loss. JoJo Mitchell led the team with 20 points in his final game before he heads to St. Thomas.

As fantastic of a season as the reigning 4A champ has had, CD-H has to be wondering what could have been with five losses coming by single digits to current top-15 teams. Nonetheless, it moves up a spot this week in the final edition of the Power 25.

No. 8 Chaska (25-4)

Previous ranking: 11

Next game: March 24 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: Chaska won’t be the favorite by any means, but it’s entering the state tournament scorching hot. The No. 2 seed Hawks went on the road and won their 22nd straight game in the Section 2-4A final, beating top seed and previous state No. 10 Prior Lake (21-7) 62-59. Tyler Forrest’s 21 points helped Chaska make it to state for the first time since 2017 and second time in the last two decades.

No. 9 Hopkins (21-8)

Previous ranking: 4

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: No. 2 seed Hopkins advanced to the Section 6-4A finals with a 66-48 win vs. No. 3 seed and previous state No. 9 Buffalo (22-6) to give the Royals supremacy in the ranking. The Royals had an 18-0 run in this one.

The Bison pulled within six to make it a game in the second half. Xavier Frelix led all scorers with 23 points. Hopkins doesn’t get embarrassed often, but it laid an egg in a 105-70 loss at top seed and state No. 2 Wayzata (25-3) in the championship.

The Royals went 0-3 against the Trojans and have lost four straight to this opponent in the section final. Hopkins has hope for the future as sophomore Tre Moore led with 18 points. We’ll see if newly minted state boys coaching wins record holder Ken Novak Jr. will hang it up.

No. 10 Buffalo (22-6)

Previous ranking: 9

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: The Bison are clearly a state caliber team, they’re just in the wrong section to make it there. No. 3 seed Buffalo saw an impressive season come to a close in the Section 6-4A semifinals in a 66-48 loss at No. 2 seed and then-state No. 4 Hopkins (21-8).

The Bison looked down for the count down 12 at halftime and even more in the second half. The plucky bunch battled to pull within six points late before running out of gas. Thomas Jordan led with 18 points, followed by 17 for Matthew Jordan.

No. 11 Lakeville South (23-6)

Previous ranking: 15

Next game: March 24 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: The Cougars are heading to state for the first time since 2021. They won Section 1-4A, which is often dominated by their rivals to the north. No. 1 seed Lakeville South defeated No. 2 seed and former state No. 18 Farmington (19-10) 76-71 in the championship in Rochester. The Cougars got it done in typical fashion by showing off their deep roster.

Nolan Greene led with 16 points, followed by 15 for Ryker Sanders, 13 for Gavin Stuart and 11 for Nate Owata. A different guy can beat you on any given night. South may not have a particularly elite win on its resume (best is at home vs. current No. 13 Prior Lake), but it has been solid all season.

No. 12 East Ridge (22-6)

Previous ranking: 13

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: East Ridge was eliminated a couple weeks ago in the Section 4-4A semifinals. The Raptors had elite talent with Cedric Tomes that rose up to beat current No. 3 and Class 3A favorite Totino-Grace (24-2) early in the season. They also split the season series and Suburban East Conference crown with current No. 7 Cretin-Derham Hall (23-6).

No. 13 Prior Lake (21-7)

Previous ranking: 10

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: Prior Lake was tantalizingly close to making it back to state for the first time since 1978. The Lakers beat Chaska (25-4) in the regular season and had home court advantage in the Section 2-4A rematch, but could not get it done in a 62-59 heartbreaker.

Both teams were impressive reclamation projects as Prior Lake started the season 1-4 and Chaska 3-4. While the Lakers fell short of advancing the postseason, they won the South Suburban Conference going away and had an awesome season.

No. 14 Henning (30-0)

Previous ranking: 16

Next game: March 26 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: Henning stormed its way to the Section 6-1A final, downing No. 4 seed Breckenridge (22-7) 80-57. Kale Misegades (37 points) and Zack Wiederich (23) did the heavy lifting for the Hornets. Misegades went off again in the championship, pouring in 39 to go with 11 rebounds to lift his team to a 72-61 neutral floor win vs. No. 3 seed Park Christian (24-7).

Henning won’t get to face a Power 25 at state as the lone Class 1A team represented in the ranking, but it can hang its hat on beating Fergus Falls (12-17), which made it to the Section 8-3A championship game.

No. 15 Alexandria (21-7)

Previous ranking: 19

Next game: March 24 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: The top-seeded Cardinals scraped by in the Section 8-4A championship 64-58 vs. No. 3 seed Elk River (14-15). Alexandria led for most of the night but could never pull away. The Elks were as close as two points in the final five minutes. Mason Witt led with 28 points. Alexandria will look to be the first team in state history to win a 3A title one year and a 4A title the next.

No. 16 Apple Valley (19-10)

Previous ranking: 21

Next game: March 24 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: Apple Valley underperformed at times this season, but it rose to the occasion to knock off a pair of Power 25 opponents en route to the Section 3-4A title. Last week, the No. 3 seed Eagles won 67-62 at No. 1 seed and former state No. 17 Eagan (20-9).

Camare Young led with 26 points and Trey Parker added 24 on eight made threes. This duo is one of the most talented in Minnesota, but we’ll see if the rest of the cast can do enough to win games at the state tournament.

No. 17 Mahtomedi (25-4)

Previous ranking: 14

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: The No. 2 seed Zephyrs hung with powerhouse and state No. 5 DeLaSalle (26-3) for a half, but the host and No. 1 seed Islanders were too much in a 67-46 win in the Section 4-3A championship. Mark Graff led with 15 points and Willie Roelofs posted 11. Mahtomedi never could quite get over the hump to beat an elite team this season.

No. 18 Eagan (20-9)

Previous ranking: 17

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: No. 1 seed Eagan fell 67-62 in a hard-fought battle against No. 3 seed and new state No. 16 Apple Valley (19-10) in the Section 3-4A championship. Donae Knox led Eagan with 19 points. Alex Schroepfer, one of the top well-rounded players in the metro, ended his season on a 13-point night.

No. 19 Farmington (19-10)

Previous ranking: 18

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: The No. 2 seed Tigers fell in an evenly matched Section 1-4A championship game. Farmington lost 79-74 against No. 1 seed and new state No. 11 Lakeville South (23-6) in Rochester. The Tigers were led by 15 points for Benny Fenske and 14 for Max Blandin.

No. 20 Osseo (22-7)

Previous ranking: 20

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: The No. 2 seed Orioles posed a respectable effort in the second half of their Section 5-4A championship matchup with No. 1 seed and new state No. 4 Maple Grove (23-6). However, a 14-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome. Kwatamah Silikpoh led Osseo with 22 points. The Orioles won 10 in a row prior to this loss.

No. 21 Northfield (25-3)

Previous ranking: 24

Next game: March 25 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: The drought is over! The Raiders are back at state for the first time since 1932. No. 1 seed Northfield dispatched No. 2 seed Austin (16-12) 60-51 in the Section 1-3A championship in Rochester.

Liam Oakland led with 20 points to go with 16 for J.T. Graupmann and 12 for Kayden Oakland. Northfield lost its season opener before rattling off 15 straight, including a revenge win against reigning Class 3A state champ Mankato East (21-7), who it could meet for a rubber match at state.

No. 22 Rosemount (19-9)

Previous ranking: 22

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: Rosemount’s season came to a close a couple weeks ago in the Section 3-4A semifinals. The Irish had one of the best turnarounds in Class 4A this season, nearly doubling their win total (11) from 2024-25.

No. 23 Rochester Mayo (23-5)

Previous ranking: 23

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: Rochester Mayo was eliminated a couple weeks ago in the Section 1-4A semifinals. The Spartans leaned on a veteran group to win the Big 9 Conference and win more than 80% of their games overall.

No. 24 Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta (28-1)

Previous ranking: 13

Next game: None

Ranking rationale: The Tigers’ season came to an end against one of the top athletes in the state. South subsection No. 1 seed Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta fell 59-54 on neutral floor against future Golden Gopher football player Roman Voss and North No. 2 seed Jackson County Central (25-6) in the Section 3-2A championship.

JCC led wire-to-wire and was up 15 at halftime until MA/C-A pulled close in the final minute. I still like the Tigers’ resume a bit better than Goodhue’s as the two teams were neck and neck for the No. 24 spot despite Goodhue still being alive for a state title.

No. 25 Goodhue (29-1)

Previous ranking: 25

Next game: March 24 or March 25 vs. TBD

Ranking rationale: Goodhue was a lot of prognosticators’ preseason pick to win it all in Class 2A. The Wildcats are still in the running after they won as the top seed in the Section 1 final against No. 6 seed Caledonia (18-11) 76-71 in Rochester. The Wildcats erased a five-point halftime deficit and extended their win streak to 22.

Luke Roschen led all scorers with 30 points, followed by 23 for Alex Loos. A shoutout also goes to Pequot Lakes (28-1), the unofficial 26th team in this week’s ranking. The Patriots have won 21 in a row, beat defending 2A champ Albany twice and won every game in the Section 7-2A tournament by 30-plus.