Michael O'Brien's Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Feb. 15, 2026

Can any team in the Public League beat Curie? The Condors opened the season with high expectations and ranked No. 11 in the Super 25 but they have outperformed everyone's expectations.

Coach Mike Oliver's team is 24-1 and will play in the Public League semifinals at UIC on Wednesday.

Curie has won 14 consecutive games since losing to Benet in the Pontiac Holiday Tournament on Dec. 31. And the Condors have done it against one of the strongest schedules any team has played in several years.

Nearly every game Curie played in the regular season was against a quality opponent. The all-senior starting lineup of Justin Oliver, Mike Oliver Jr., Kendall Holiday, Saquan Commings and Josh Hurley doesn't boast a single college-bound player yet; they just win.

The Condors beat nine teams that have appeared in the Super 25 this season: Warren, Oswego East, St. Ignatius, Lockport, New Trier, St. Patrick, Bolingbrook, Thornwood and Hillcrest.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Public League had not determined the matchups for Wednesday's city tournament semifinals. It is unbelievable that a tournament featuring nearly 100 teams did not have a set format before it started, but that appears to be the case.

Hyde Park, Kenwood and Lincoln Park also advanced to the final four. Curie will be a heavy favorite against whichever team it plays on Wednesday.

The Condors lost to Kenwood in the city title game last year and beat Kenwood to win the city title in 2024. Curie also won city championships in 2019 and 2014.

Super 25 updates

New Trier vaulted from No. 20 to No. 12 this week. The Trevians beat Evanston on Friday, but that is only part of the story. Princeton recruit Christopher Kirkpatrick, one of the the best players in the state, has returned from an injury suffered back in December.

Kirkpatrick scored 24 points against the Wildkits and hit the game-winning shot. New Trier was holding its own without the talented guard, but his return raises the Trevians’ ceiling significantly.

New Trier is the No. 5 seed in the Class 4A Loyola sectional. The Trevians will host the regional. They open against Payton and then could host St. Patrick in the regional final.

Leo drops out of the rankings after losing to Rich and Marmion. Lockport falls out after losing at Sandburg.

Two Public League teams, Kenwood and Hyde Park, join the Super 25. Kenwood played well for long stretches of the season and knocked off Young on the road on Saturday. Hyde Park has won nine consecutive games against in-state opponents since losing to St. Patrick on Jan. 10.

It’s been a down year for Public League basketball overall, so placing five teams in the rankings in mid-February was unexpected.

Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Feb. 15, 2026
With record and last week's ranking

1. Benet (28-1) 1
At Marist Tuesday

2. DePaul Prep (24-3) 2
At Warren Thursday

3. Curie (24-1) 3
Dominating CPS

4. Kankakee (24-1) 4
At Joliet West Wednesday

5. Warren (27-2) 5
Three-win week

6. Neuqua Valley (28-1) 6
Cole Kelly is a force

7. Homewood-Flossmoor (25-3) 7
Beat Joliet West

8. Bolingbrook (21-7) 8
Hosting the sectional

9. Loyola (23-6) 9
Trey Williams had a triple-double

10. St. Patrick (23-4) 10
Earned No. 4 seed at Loyola

11. Marist (25-4) 11
Big test coming vs. Benet

12. New Trier (22-7) 20
Christopher Kirkpatrick is back

13. Evanston (23-6) 12
Lost to New Trier

14. Fremd (24-2) 13
Survived Hersey

15. St. Ignatius (25-4) 14
Beat Fenwick

16. Palatine (25-4) 15
Took down Barrington

17. Mount Carmel (17-10) 16
Won at Brother Rice

18. Kaneland (28-0) 17
Nice win vs. WW South

19. Glenbard East (26-3) 19
At West Aurora Tuesday

20. Waukegan (21-7) 23
At Stevenson Wednesday

21. Lincoln Park (19-7) 24
Won at Simeon

22. Hillcrest (19-7) 25
Jamir Ratliff can play

23. Kenwood (17-7) NR
Huge win at Young

24. Young (21-7) 18
State playoffs up next

25. Hyde Park (21-7) NR
In the city final four