Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Jan. 22, 2023

Simeon returns to the top spot and Downers Grove North joins the rankings.

SHARE Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Jan. 22, 2023
Simeon’s Wesley Rubin (10) dunks against Moline at the When Sides Collide Shootout.

Simeon’s Wesley Rubin (10) dunks against Moline at the When Sides Collide Shootout.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Occasionally the Super 25 surprises me. This was one of those Sundays. There were major upsets all over the area this week and it appeared that making sense of all of it was going to be a herculean task.

That wasn’t the case. Everything fell into place fairly easily. This was a good week to take a loss. With so many teams dropping games everything sort of evened out.

Simeon is back at No. 1. That was an easy decision. The Wolverines have an excellent resume and have beaten Benet.

Kenwood only dropped a couple of spots despite losing three games. All three were to ranked teams, so there is no shame in that. And the Broncos have wins against Young, Joliet West, Proviso East, Bloom, Simeon and Curie. That’s a stronger resume than Benet. Wins matter more than losses in the Super 25.

Hillcrest jumped to No. 6 and almost went a bit higher. The Hawks’ only losses this season are to East St. Louis and Belleville East. Hillcrest hasn’t had a single let down loss and has knocked off Curie (when they were full strength), Oswego East, Marian Catholic and Bloom.

Libertyville falls out after losing to Warren. Downers Grove North, which has been in and out of the Super 25 this season, is back after beating Bolingbrook.

Loyola, which joined the rankings last week, lost to Taft on Saturday but holds on because it also beat Brother Rice.

Super 25 for Jan. 22, 2023
With record and last week’s ranking

1. Simeon (19-1) 2
Robert Smith is one win away from 500

2. Benet (22-1) 4
Handled Kenwood

3. Kenwood (16-5) 1
Three consecutive defeats

4. Joliet West (17-5) 3
Justus McNair is back

5. Young (17-5) 3
Lost to Joliet West

6. Hillcrest (21-2) 8
Unbeaten in the area

7. Brother Rice (20-3) 7
Ahmad Henderson tough to beat

8. Rolling Meadows (20-3) 6
Lost to Brother Rice

9. Hyde Park (18-4) 23
Beat Kenwood

10. Mount Carmel (19-2) 10
Hosts St. Rita Tuesday

11. Bolingbrook (16-6) 11
Up and down week

12. Hinsdale Central (19-3) 19
Faces Lincoln-Way East Saturday

13. Oswego East (18-5) 15
Playing very well

14. Proviso East (16-4) 12
Hosts Proviso West Saturday

15. Curie (13-9) 5
Forfeits and suspensions

16. Lyons (18-3) 16
Lost to Hinsdale Central

17. St. Rita (13-8) 18
Big test vs. Mount Carmel

18. Glenbrook South (18-4) 20
Handled Buffalo Grove

19. Lincoln-Way East (18-2) 13
Lost to Bolingbrook

20. Bloom (14-6) 14
Lost to H-F

21. Glenbrook North (20-2) 22
Knocked of New Trier

22. New Trier (18-4) 17
Hosts Glenbrook South Friday

23. Downers Grove North (18-3) NR
Can play with anyone

24. Marist (18-5) 24
Fell short vs. Brother Rice

25. Loyola (18-6) 25
Beat Brother Rice, lost to Taft

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