KSR's 2025-26 Kentucky High School Boys Basketball Top 25 Rankings: Postseason

And that’s a wrap on the 2025-26 Kentucky high school boys basketball season! It was an entertaining one from start to finish.

We have a new state champion, too. The George Rogers Clark Cardinals won the program’s third Sweet 16 title (1951, 2022) on Saturday in Rupp Arena, taking down St. Xavier 58-50 in overtime in what was an all-time instant classic. 10th Region Player of the Year Malachi Ashford was named tournament MVP for the Cardinals. GRC also became the first school since Ashland in 1928 to see both the boys and girls basketball teams win the state’s ultimate crown in the same season.

As expected, GRC and St. Xavier sit at the top of KSR’s final Top 25 rankings of the season. Dive in below to check out where our panel of eight voters ranked the rest of the state’s best teams as we enter the offseason. Scroll down a bit more to see which teams KSR’s Troy Howell has on his watch list as title contenders for the 2026-27 season.

KSR’s Top 25 Rankings: Postseason

1. George Rogers Clark [8 first-place votes]
2. St. Xavier
3. North Oldham
4. Covington Catholic 
5. Grayson County
6. Madison Central
7. North Laurel
8. Louisville Ballard
9. Louisville Butler
10. Marshall County
11. Warren Central 
12. Great Crossing 
13. Daviess County 
14. Frederick Douglass 
15. Boyd County
16. Lyon County 
17. McCracken County
18. DuPont Manual 
19. Woodford County 
20. Taylor County 
21. Jeffersontown
22. Henderson County
23. Lexington Catholic
24. Male
25. Johnson Central

Others receiving votes: Eastern (6), North Hardin (5), Danville Christian (4), Ashland Blazer (3), Bell County (1)

KSR Top 25 voters: Troy Howell, Clark Howell, Les Dixon, Sam Gormley, Lovell Martin, Phoenix Stevens, Travis Scaggs, Jalen Daugherty

Troy Howell’s top teams to watch next season

• 1st Region – Marshall County
• 2nd – Henderson County
• 3rd -Grayson County
• 5th – Taylor County, North Hardin
• 6th – W.E.B. DuBois, Evangel Christian
• 7th – St Xavier, Male, Ballard, Christian Academy-Louisville
• 8th – North Oldham, Woodford County
• 9th – Covington Catholic
• 10th – George Rogers Clark, Montgomery County
• 11th – Great Crossing
• 13th – Bell County
• 15th – Johnson Central, Martin County
• 16th – Ashland Blazer

Favorites to win state: George Rogers Clark, North Oldham

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