Schedule says intensity's rising for the boys basketball Metro Top 10

Holiday tournaments usually produce great matchups and provide a good indication of the top teams in the Twin Cities. That wasn't the case in 2022.

Class 4A defending state champion Park Center, No. 1 in the Metro Top 10, didn't play over the holidays, and Class 3A defending state champion Totino-Grace, No. 3 in the Metro Top 10, split two games in South Dakota against a couple of national powers. No. 6 Orono and No. 9 DeLaSalle also played in South Dakota.

No. 2 Lakeville North and No. 4 Eden Prairie saw little resistance in their own four-team invitationals. State champions will be crowned in three months, so look for the intensity to start ramping up.

Hopkins at Eden Prairie, 7 p.m. Friday

With the new year upon us it's time to warm up to conference play. In a conference opener, No. 4 Eden Prairie hosts No. 7 Hopkins in a matchup of perennial Lake powers.

1. Park Center (5-0)

2. Lakeville North (6-1)

3. Totino-Grace (3A) (3-2)

4. Eden Prairie (5-1)

5. Benilde-St. Margaret's (3A) (6-0)

6. Orono (3A) (5-1)

7. Hopkins (9-1)

8. Eastview (4-2)

9. DeLaSalle (3A) (5-3)

10. Wayzata (4-3)