Long Island Lutheran had indisputably been one of the country's most talented teams all season long, but with six losses entering this past week, the Crusaders had to prove they were dominant on the court, not just on paper.
Point taken. The Crusaders won The Throne national tournament, taking down three Super 25 teams in Highland, Brennan and Allen, to firmly entrench itself back in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 boys basketball national rankings, where they'll almost certainly remain regardless of outcome in the Chipotle Nationals this weekend.
The Chipotle Nationals is all we have left on the basketball calendar, so these can be considered the penultimate rankings. Archbishop Riordan, which had an incredibly strong 29-2 season with a Northern California Open Division championship, fell out of the rankings to make a spot for LuHi.
(Records as of Thursday, April 3)
1. Columbus (Miami, Fla.)
Record: 27-3
Previous Rank: 1
2. Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)
Record: 35-2
National Postseason Tournament record: 0-1
Previous Rank: 2
3. Hoover (Ala.)
Record: 35-0
Previous Rank: 3
4. Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.)
Record: 27-2
Previous Rank: 4
5. Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Record: 22-1
Previous Rank: 5
6. Allen (Texas)
Record: 34-2
Previous Rank: 9
7. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Record: 31-3
Previous Rank: 6
8. Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)
Record: 29-3
Previous Rank: 7
9. Brennan (San Antonio, Texas)
Record: 33-3
National Postseason Tournament record: 1-1
Previous Rank: 8
10. Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)
Record: 27-4
Previous Rank: 10
11. Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas)
Record: 31-4
National Postseason Tournament record: 1-0
Previous Rank: 12
12. St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.)
Record: 31-2
Previous Rank: 13
13. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Record: 30-2
Previous Rank: 14
14. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
Record: 28-3
National Postseason Tournament record: 0-1
Previous Rank: 15
15. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 29-5
Previous Rank: 16
16. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.)
Record: 21-6
National Postseason Tournament record: 3-0
Previous Rank: NR
17. John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)
Record: 25-2
National Postseason Tournament record: 0-1
Previous Rank: 17
18. Fishers (Ind.)
Record: 30-1
Previous Rank: 11
19. Huntsville (Ala.)
Record: 32-2
Previous Rank: 18
20. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)
Record: 34-5
Previous Rank: 19
21. Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)
Record: 26-4
Previous Rank: 20
22. Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.)
Record: 32-1
Previous Rank: 21
