For the first time since November, Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) isn't featured in the Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard.

The Roadrunners beat teams from seven states outside of Tennessee this season en route to a 31-2 record. They even knocked off Kevin Boyle and Montverde Academy (Fla.) at Penny Hardaway's Hoopfest in January.

Yet Ridgeway is on the outside of the national rankings picture this week after an upset loss to Memphis Central in the Region 8-AAA semis, preventing head coach Wes Henning's club from even making the state tournament.

The Roadrunners are an illustration of just how tough it is to finish the season nationally-ranked.

Meanwhile, No. 2 Marcus (Flower Mound) is two wins away from becoming the first repeat champion in Texas' large-school classification (5A) in over a decade. The Marauders won a pair of showdowns in the regionals over the weekend, advancing to the state tournament in Austin for the third year in a row.

No disrespect to outstanding semifinalists Warren (San Antonio) and Naaman Forest (Garland), but a Marcus vs. No. 15 Fort Bend Travis (Richmond) matchup would be one of the glitzier state final pairings anywhere in America. Phil Forte and Marcus Smart in their final game facing star junior twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison would be about as good as it gets in high school basketball.

Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.

Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (28-0)
Easy wins over Oratory Prep (Summit) and Dwight-Englewood last week set up a big game in the Non-Public North B finals with 25-2 Hudson Catholic (Jersey City).

2. (2) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (37-2)
The Marauders advanced to the Class 5A semifinals in Austin with wins over North Crowley and South Grand Prairie over the weekend – teams with a combined mark of 65-8. Marcus will take on Naaman Forest (Garland) on Friday.

3. (3) Milton (Ga.) (26-4)
Milton is headed to the Class AAAAA final four for the fourth year in a row, but will be without the services of Georgia-bound senior guard Charles Mann the rest of the way. Mann picked up a pair of controversial technical fouls in the regional final win over North Gwinnett (Suwanee).

4. (4) Simeon (Chicago) (28-1)
The Wolverines are through to the Class 4A sectional semifinals, where they meet recent rival and nemesis Whitney Young (Chicago) on Tuesday.

5. (5) Chester (Pa.) (27-0)
After beating Lower Merion (Ardmore) – Kobe's alma mater – for the District 1 AAAA title, the Clippers open state tournament play Saturday against McCaskey (Lancaster).

6. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (29-2)
The Monarchs captured the Southern Section Division I-AA title with tough wins over Loyola (Los Angeles) and then-No. 15 Long Beach Poly in the semifinals and finals, respectively. Mater Dei hosts Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta) on Wednesday in opening-round action of the CIF Division I state tournament.

7. (9) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) (32-2)
Paul VI already has the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles under its belt along with the VISAA Division I state title. More opportunities to bolster a glittery resume are ahead in the Abe Polin City Title Game and Alhambra Catholic Invitational.

8. (8) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) (28-4)
Season complete. Class 4A state champions.

9. (10) Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) (29-4)
PCA outscored John Paul II (Plano) 24-9 in the fourth quarter to run away with a 72-46 win in the TAPPS 5A state final. Junior star Julius Randle scored 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

10. (11) Columbia (Decatur, Ga.) (29-1)
The Eagles are headed back to Georgia's Class AAA final four in pursuit of their third-consecutive state crown.

11. (13) Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) (27-4)
The Lions made it back-to-back state titles in the TAPPS 4A division with an impressive 77-54 win over then-No. 22 Westbury Christian (Houston) on Saturday. Junior forward Jordan Mickey led the way with 21 points.

12. (12) Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.) (28-0)
Proviso East narrowly escaped an upset in regional final play Saturday in a 51-48 win over Glenbard North (Carol Stream). Good thing the Pirates advanced as we have a feature on the program under first-year coach Donnie Boyce planned for this week.

13. (14) Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio) (23-0)
The Wolverines still have some wood to chop in Ohio's Division II playoffs. Dunbar takes on Aiken (Cincinnati) on Wednesday in a district final and could meet 2011 Division III champ Taft (Cincinnati) in a regional final.

14. (16) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) (30-2)
Ely blazed a path through Florida's 7A state tournament, winning five games by an average of 32.5 points per contest. Senior forward Clide Geffrard piled up 33 points and 14 rebounds in the championship against Oak Ridge (Orlando) – a dominating 78-46 victory.

15. (24) Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas) (35-3)
If it looked like we were giving the Tigers a free pass to the 5A final, nothing could be further from the truth with 35-5 Warren (San Antonio) standing in the way. But it's hard not to get giddy about the postseason play of Travis, which has won every game by 15 points and beat a very good Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City) team by 23 in the regional finals.

16. (17) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (27-4)
Did not play last week. Will participate in the Alhambra Catholic Invitational March 15-17 in Frostburg, Md.

17. (18) Sexton (Lansing, Mich.) (19-1)
The postseason finally gets underway in Michigan this week. The Big Reds open Class B district play Monday against Eaton Rapids.

18. (19) Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) (35-2)
The Hornets will play Baton Rouge rival McKinley for the 5A state title in Ruston next weekend. Scotlandville beat McKinley twice this season by margins of 13 and 14 points, respectively.

19. (23) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) (23-3)
The Saints open Class AAA tournament play Friday against Greencastle-Antrim.

20. (15) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (27-2)
Though the Jackrabbits lost to Mater Dei, they did notch a win over 29-2 Etiwanda last week and will continue their season in the CIF Division I state tournament. Poly opens against Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo) and could get another shot at Mater Dei in the Southern California finals.

21. (NR) New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.) (29-1)
The Wildcats punched their ticket to the NCHSAA Class 4-A final with a dominating, 81-48 win over Hoke County (Raeford). New Hanover – featuring six players averaging between 14 and 8 points per game this season – take on West Charlotte for the title Saturday.

22. (NR) Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) (22-3)
In terms of a national resume, a couple of in-state losses were troubling for a team that was expected to dominate Utah this season en route to back-to-back titles. But the Knights put to rest any question about who the top team in the state was Saturday in a 68-38 win over Brighton to take home the 5A crown. Lone Peak led by as many as 41 in the third quarter. It's tough to question the school's national legitimacy with wins over teams that are still playing in the postseason from Illinois, Louisiana and New York.

23. (NR) St. Augustine (New Orleans) (36-3)
The Purple Knights have bounced in and out of the Xcellent 25 several times this season. They will play Peabody (Alexandria) for the 4A state title next weekend. St. Augustine owns wins over teams from seven states outside of Louisiana, including a December triumph over No. 9 Prestonwood Christian.

24. (25) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (25-1)
The Royals have won 21 in a row entering section tournament play.

25. (NR) Germantown (Wis.) (24-0)
This might be overdue. The Warhawks are averaging over 80 points per game this season and have at least a couple of future Division I players in senior guard Zak Showalter – one of the most unappreciated talents in America – and 6-foot-9 junior Luke Fischer, and Indiana verbal. Zak's sophomore brother Jake is also a major contributor. They take on Hamilton (Milwaukee) in sectional semifinal action Thursday.

Dropped out: No. 7 last week Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.); No. 20 Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.); No. 21 Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.); No. 22 Westbury Christian (Houston)