Things are starting to round into form on the Western Massachusetts boys basketball scene as we enter late January.
Most teams have played more than half of their respective schedules, and believe it or not, we’re starting to pay attention to MIAA Power Rankings and WMass tournament seedings (stay tuned for our first Bracketology of the 2025-26 season later this week).
It was a telling weekend for many local programs. The 2026 Hoophall Classic and Hoophall Invitational could mark turning points for some teams (Pope Francis, Longmeadow, Commerce and Monument Mountain all impressed). I was on site for some of those games, and while I have a few more teams in our rankings that I haven’t seen yet, I’m scheduling myself appropriately to get out and see some new faces over the course of the next couple of weeks.
With that in mind, here is our Top 20 rankings. Just a reminder that these are released every Wednesday morning (current record, previous ranking in parentheses).
If there are missing statistics, coaches can please send them to sports@masslive.com
Previous rankings: Jan. 14, Jan. 7, Dec. 20, Preseason
- Pope Francis (10-1, No. 1)
- Springfield Central (5-4, No. 2)
- Chicopee Comp (8-2, No. 3)
- Sci-Tech (7-3, No. 4)
- Agawam (6-5, No. 6)
- Longmeadow (8-2, No. 7)
- Amherst (8-4, No. 5)
- Wahconah (10-1, No. 9)
- Minnechaug (6-5, No. 8)
- Drury (10-2, No. 12)
- Pittsfield (8-4, No. 10)
- Putnam (2-9, No. 11)
- Holyoke (2-6, No. 13)
- East Longmeadow (8-3, No. 16)
- Frontier (11-1, No. 15)
- Northampton (5-5, No. 14)
- Commerce (9-2, No. 18)
- Mount Everett (10-1, No. 17)
- Monument Mountain (6-5, NR)
- South Hadley (6-6, NR)
NEXT TEAMS UP: Easthampton, Chicopee, Ludlow
IN: Monument Mountain, South Hadley
OUT: Ludlow, Easthampton
Pope Francis continues to occupy the No. 1 spot after a thrilling 80-78 double-overtime win over Springfield Central at the Hoophall Classic. The Cardinals, which have won 10 games in a row, went on to win their bracket in the Invitational over the weekend, including a very impressive win over Archbishop Molloy from Queens in the title game on Sunday.
The Golden Eagles stay at No. 2 despite losses to Pope Francis and NYC power Christ the King, though Chicopee Comp is hot on their heels after wins over Amherst and West Springfield.
Longmeadow jumps into the top five after beating three out-of-state teams over the past week. The Lancers won an Invitational bracket with a win over White Plains (N.Y.) on Sunday. They’ll have what should be a monster measuring stick game tonight against Pope Francis.
Monument Mountain and South Hadley both jump back into the rankings. The Spartans have won four games in a row, including a bracket title during the Hoophall Invitational after beating two New York schools. After giving Chicopee Comp everything it could handle at Hoophall, the Tigers took down Chicopee on Wednesday night in a winner-gets-in Top 20 showdown.
