Little Rock Central Tops Early Arkansas Boys Basketball Rankings
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's early-season poll places Central first ahead of its season opener against Marion on Tuesday.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Basketball
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Little Rock Central is ranked No. 1 in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's overall early-season high school boys basketball rankings. The Tigers open their season against Marion on Tuesday, November 11.
Why it matters
The ranking reflects a team that returns six of its top seven players from last season, when it finished 16-14 after a 4-9 start. For Little Rock readers, it sets up a closely watched season among the city's top programs.
Central returns six of its top seven players and has seven seniors on the roster, a combination the poll weighed in ranking the team first. The 2025-26 season ended 16-14 after a 4-9 start, and how the team performs once conference play starts remains unknown.
The players
Little Rock Central
Little Rock Central is a public high school in Little Rock that competes in Class 6A and has a long record of state-level basketball success.
Bentonville
Bentonville is a northwest Arkansas high school basketball program ranked No. 2 in the early-season rankings.
The details
Central is ranked ahead of Bentonville at No. 2, Little Rock Parkview at No. 3, Benton at No. 4 and North Little Rock at No. 5. Four Central players started in last season's Class 6A state title game against Bryant, which the team lost.
Timeline
2025-26 season: Central started 4-9 and finished 16-14.
February and March 2026: Central played its strongest stretch of last season.
Tuesday, November 11, 2026: Central opens its season against Marion.
Season Trajectory
The Democrat-Gazette's early-season ranking places Little Rock Central at No. 1 among Arkansas programs entering the 2026-27 campaign. The result leaves Central's 16-14 finish last season as the record it must improve on in a competitive state field.
Fans following Little Rock high school basketball can track Central's opener against Marion on Tuesday, November 11. The ranking is a preseason poll, so the team's standing will change as games are played.
The takeaway
A preseason ranking shows expectations, not results, and Central's record last season suggests the team's early wins will matter. Readers should watch the opener against Marion as the first test of whether the roster can meet those expectations.
What happens next
Little Rock Central opens its season against Marion on Tuesday, November 11, 2026.
Further reading
For more local high school coverage, see Basketball on our Little Rock sports pages.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ArkansasOnline.
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