The Rice boys basketball team and Patrick Gymnasium. The two have gone hand in hand for a long time.

The Green Knights have made it to at least the Division I state semifinal stage at Patrick Gymnasium for the last six seasons and in 12 of the last 13 campaigns.

The way things have been rolling in the early going for Rice, it’s looking like that sustained dominance could continue this winter.

Last week was the ultimate chance for the Green Knights to prove their spot as the top dog in Division I. In front of them was matchups with fellow undefeated clubs St. Johnsbury and CVU. They could either rise to the challenge or falter.

They chose to rise.

In highly competitive contests, Rice came out on top by four against St. Johnsbury and five against CVU, the latter of which avenging a D-I state finals loss from last winter.

Both teams will get another shot at Rice in early February and they’ll surely want to flip the script on those nights.

For now, Rice sits in the Division I penthouse. It’s a place the Green Knights are very used to living in and somewhere they’d like to stay as they chase down a potential fourth state title in five years.

Rice jumps up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Rutland Herald/Times Argus boys basketball power rankings, a well-earned bump after two massive wins. And other perennial powerhouses, such as D-II Montpelier and D-III Hazen, are also making some noise as teams head into a busy midseason stretch.

Let’s jump into this week’s rankings. Records and analysis are through Monday’s games and last week’s rankings are in parentheses.

1. Rice 8-0 (3). The Green Knights beat last week’s No. 1 and 2 teams so the top spot is theirs. The team boasts lots of experience and depth which is paying off in big games.

2. CVU 7-1 (1). The Redhawks had their 23-game winning streak snapped by Rice, but are clearly in the same tier of contenders. Before that game, CVU had been held below 60 points just once this season.

3. Rutland 7-2 (4). RHS had to battle to get past rival BBA on Monday, but that games like that will prepare them for the heavyweight battles they have coming up soon and in the playoffs.

4. South Burlington 8-2 (5). The Wolves picked up their biggest win of the season on Monday, pulling away from St. Johnsbury down the stretch. The race to see who gets to Patrick Gymnasium could be fascinating with the depth of D-I contenders.

5. St. Johnsbury 7-2 (2). A pair of losses this past week sees the Hilltoppers drop a few spots, but this team is clearly one of the top teams in the state. Their top players are very battle-tested and can take over on any night.

6. Burlington 7-3 (8). The Seawolves have won three straight, but have some huge Metro Division tests coming up that could play a big role in where they stand in the D-I pecking order.

7. Hartford 7-1 (7). The Hurricanes bounced back nicely from their first loss with two wins, one of them being an impressive 24-point win against Division I BBA. The SVL B Division looks super competitive this year, so they’ll tested in the coming weeks.

8. Montpelier 5-3 (9). The Solons have been absolutely rolling since starting the season with three straight losses to D-I clubs. This past week, they blasted a very solid U-32 team by 32 points.

9. BFA-St. Albans 5-4 (6). The Bobwhites are a team that seem capable of knocking off one of the top-tier D-I contenders, but haven’t got over the hump in those contests. Putting up 72 points on Rice on Monday was impressive.

10. Colchester 5-4 (10). The Lakers survived an upset bid from one-win Essex on Monday. Their next four games are an absolute gauntlet, taking on Rice, South Burlington, St. Johnsbury and CVU.

On the bubble: Otter Valley, Burr and Burton, Harwood, North Country, Lake Region, Lamoille, Thetford, Hazen.

TOP FIVES

Division I: 1. Rice; 2. CVU; 3. Rutland; 4. South Burlington; 5. St. Johnsbury.

Division II: 1. Hartford; 2. Montpelier; 3. Otter Valley; 4. Harwood; 5. North Country.

Division III: 1. Thetford; 2. Hazen; 3. BFA-Fairfax; 4. White River Valley; 5. Vergennes.

Division IV: 1. West Rutland; 2. Grace Christian; 3. Danville; 4. Proctor; 5. Williamstown.