Michael O'Brien's final Super 25 high school basketball rankings for the 2025-26 season

While Marist celebrated its long-awaited state championship on Saturday night, messages from readers started to flood in. A sample:

“Marist was better but what a weird and horrible game.”

“The pace of play was painful.”

“28 points?”

“Bull crap stall offense. Just play ball.”

The Class 4A championship game was a rough watch for the neutral fan. Marist beat Benet 44-28. It was the lowest-scoring big-school title game since Simeon beat Richwoods 31-29 in OT in 2006. That game was saved by Derrick Rose’s game-winning jumper. But it remains the most infamously unwatchable title game in recent history.

Benet vs. Marist set several dubious records:

• Benet scored the fewest points in any Class 4A title game. And any Class AA title game. You have to go all the way back to single-class basketball in 1928 to find a lower point total.
• The 72 combined points was the lowest scoring Class 4A title game.
• Benet’s 11 field goals made tied for the lowest total in Class 4A title game history.
• The 73 field goals attempted by both teams is the lowest total ever in the Class 4A title game.

Marist jumped out to a big lead and then spread the floor and held on to its lead. Benet coach Gene Heidkamp addressed it at length after the game:

“The obviously spread us out and played a lot of four corners. That’s the problem when you get behind. The second quarter did us in. Once we got behind, we had to chase their guards on a big college floor. And they are athletic all over, they are very skilled. Even their bigs handle the ball like guards. It is a tough sled when our guys have to go out there and chase them because they have control of the game.

“It was an excellent game plan. I’m giving complete credit to it. It will be the last time you see that game plan because next year there is a shot clock. That’s not taking anything away. That is genius on [Marist coach Brian Hynes’] part and I give them credit. That is not demeaning. I want to make sure I’m clear on that. I’m not crying about that at all. I might have done the same thing. We are playing for a state championship. He got the lead and did what he needed to do to win. But it will be different from here on out, and you probably won’t see much of that down the stretch. That is credit. That is not crying. Make sure I am being very clear about that. What I am saying is we are not designed to play that way and they did a great job of taking advantage of that. They played an excellent game. They are worthy champs. There is no doubt about that.”

The DePaul Prep vs. Benet semifinal on Friday wasn’t any more watchable, with just 77 total points scored. When the idea of the 35-second shot clock was first floated, it divided fans, coaches and media, but at this point almost everyone is ready for the change.

Class 3A suffers in final Super 25

Class 3A teams probably won't be happy with the way the final Super 25 ended up. But Deerfield, Kankakee and Kaneland didn't beat enough high-quality teams this season to be ranked higher. Kankakee's only win against a team in the final Super 25 is Waukegan. Deerfield's only Super 25 win is Kaneland and Kaneland did not beat a team in the final Super 25.

Five teams that were not ranked in the preseason wound up in the final Super 25: York, Homewood-Flossmoor, Hersey, St. Patrick and Palatine. Five teams that were ranked in the preseason did not make the final rankings: Kenwood, Barrington, Young, Oswego East and Geneva.

Final Super 25 rankings for the 2025-26 season
With record and preseason ranking

1. Marist (33-5) 4

2. Benet (36-2) 2

3. DePaul Prep (33-4) 1

4. York (32-6) NR

5. St. Ignatius (31-5) 22

6. Curie (29-2) 9

7. Bolingbrook (25-8) 6

8. Neuqua Valley (32-2) 15

9. Warren (30-4) 3

10. Homewood-Flossmoor (29-4) NR

11. Evanston (27-7) 13

12. Loyola (27-7) 12

13. New Trier (26-8) 8

14. Hersey (22-8) NR

15. Fremd (28-3) 11

16. St. Patrick (26-5) NR

17. Palatine (29-5) NR

18. Deerfield (25-12) 25

19. Kaneland (36-1) 20

20. Kankakee (29-2) 5

21. Glenbard East (30-4) 21

22. Waukegan (24-8) 7

23. St. Laurence (27-7) 23

24. Lincoln Park (21-9) 14

25. Simeon (19-10) 10