ON DECK: The ever-shifting power point rankings
As prep basketball is coming down the stretch, the power point rankings are constantly shifting like tectonic plates.
How the playoffs work this year, the top eight teams from each section play in a sectional tournament with the top four automatically advancing to state. The 24-team state tournament will fill out the rest of the bracket with the top power point teams remaining.
As I'm writing this — which means it'll change by the time you're reading this — Yuma has five teams that would qualify for sectionals.
On the boys' side, Kofa (No. 5 before their loss to Cibola on Thursday), Cibola (No. 6) and Yuma Catholic (No. 7 at Division IV) are in, while the girls have Cibola (No. 8) and Yuma Catholic (No. 8 at Division IV).
But these rankings are as stable as a three-legged chair. An important win or a costly lost could boost them up or knock them out.
On Thursday, I checked in the early afternoon and the Cibola girls were ranked No. 6. A few hours later, the Raiders had dropped to No. 7. By the time I got home from covering their win at Kofa, they had dropped to No. 8. Three different spots in the span of eight hours.
There are still a few holes in the power points. Cibola's win over El Centro-Central hasn't been updated. Yuma Catholic boys' victory over San Pasqual isn't included yet. The Yuma Catholic girls and Kofa boys both lost on Thursday while the Cibola boys and girls both won -- which will muddy the rankings even more. There is still a lot of basketball to play and even more dust to be settled.
At this stage of the season, if you can push your way into the party, anything can happen. Most likely, the teams that survive to make the sectional tournament will have to play on the road against some of the top teams in their sections. But when they're there, one win automatically gets them to the state tournament.
Many of the coaches I've talked to don't like the new system, but that won't make it change. It may be confusing, it can seem unfair sometimes and seems like the BCS' little brother, but it's the way things are.
Win and, hopefully, reap the rewards. Lose and suffer the consequences. From here on out, these teams will be walking on eggshells.
