CYO Power Rankings for the week of February 7, 2016

The 6ers are coming off of a bye week, their last week off before State Tournament play. A big game is lined up against fellow undefeated team St. Bartholomew, with the winner claiming the #1 seed from the division. A win here will set these juniors up nicely heading into tournament play.

The ‘Stangs are coming off of yet another win, beating NDCL 52-37. With this win, they have clinched the State-White division and have locked in a #1 seed heading into tournament play.

Gesu, despite getting a #2 seed in the State Qualifying tournament, look to be in excellent form, winning 5 games in a row. This is a hot team that has the ability to challenge the 216ers and St. Albert come Tournament time.

St. Greg put up yet another terrific defensive performance over the weekend, holding St. John Vianney to a mere 22 points. In today’s era of CYO basketball, that is quite a feat. If the Jaguars can keep up this defensive play in the next few weeks, they should be a dangerous team in the State Qualifying Tournament.

St. Paschal is coming off another win, and look to get another one (s/o DJ Khaled) against a 2-5 St. John Vianney. Yet another win here would guarantee a well-earned 3 seed in the tournament, a vital asset as this year’s bracket is loaded with sleeper teams. The Knights need to keep their momentum if they want a chance at bringing some hardware back to Highland Heights. (note: in last week’s edition I said that NDCL beat St. Paschal, but it was the other way around. The Knights won in a high scoring affair, 72-63.)

Many things have not been consistent this year. There have been 3 different #1 ranked teams, all but 2 teams are undefeated, and scores fluctuate more than any given Ignatian’s mood during finals week. One thing, however, has remained constant week in and week out: The Magic Johnson of CYO. The player formerly known as Jared Yant is a scoring machine inside the well-oiled machine that is the Thunderbolts. One of the best, if not the best, “Local” teams in CYO, this team has a serious shot at winning a City Championship.

Coming off of a win against an evenly-matched St. Ignatius of Antioch, the Vikes look to be in good shape. A win this weekend could clinch them the four seed in a division with a rare 3 undefeated teams.

OLA is back to their winning ways, beating Assumption by 10 this past weekend. A win this next weekend against a 1-6 St. Luke squad is much needed as the Cougars look for momentum heading into tournament play.

The Mustangs ended their regular season with a loss, but the future could be bright for this squad. They have shown they have the ability to pull out close games, a crucial trait come tournament time. They also lucked into getting put in a weaker State division compared to the others. This means they have a have a great position seeding-wise, pulling a 3 seed.

This spot might be slightly controversial, but it is great to see that the Bulldogs have finally shown their true game. A 31 point thrashing this weekend solidifies theories that Alex Hornung and the ‘Dogs have been holding back this whole season, waiting to sneak up and upset some highly ranked teams in the tournament.Watch out #2 and #1 seeds, this team could be the next George Mason, VCU, or FGCU.

After a 3 point win over St. Pat’s, a game this weekend against division-leaders St. Joe is all that separates the Lions from a 2 seed or a 5 seed. A win here will put them in great position for the Local Tournament.

Holy Family lost this weekend, but they need to put that in the back of their minds and find some momentum for the impending Local Tournament. A win over St. Leo could do just that for the Centurions.

Gesu had a disappointing end to their regular season, losing by 14 in one game and forfeiting the other. If captains Nick Neron and Trey Burque can whip this team back into shape and pull off a Cinderella run in the Local Tournament, they will have lots of momentum heading into next year.

The Vikings have had less than ideal season so far, but all can change in one game in the city tournament. Just like the NCAA tournament, the CYO tournament brings the almost certainty that major teams will get upset by lesser schools. This St. Joe team could do just that come tournament time.