Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions tips Thursday

Video: Oak Hill Academy Bass Pro buzzer beater
Warriors win 2016 TOC with 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Arguably the biggest stage in all of high school basketball, the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions gets underway Thursday in Springfield, Mo.

CBS Sports Network will broadcast the semifinals live Friday night beginning at 9 p.m. ET and the championship game Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.

34th Annual @BassProTOfC bracket! https://t.co/OSLYZATKtO @OzarksOzone @scoreboardguy @WyattWheeler_NL @JohnJungmann @Ballislife @HSHoopsElite @usatodayhss @FloHoops @BlueStarMedia1 @HoopReview @RonMFlores @PrepCircuit @DavidSTLhss @prepnation @officialSPS @BassProShops pic.twitter.com/0U6NFN4XBT

— Bass Pro T Of C (@BassProTOfC) January 3, 2018

Back-to-back champions in 2015 and 2016, No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) returns as a heavy favorite to make it three titles in four years.

The Warriors are 23-0 with two tournament titles under their belt already this season. Kentucky-bound senior Keldon Johnson leads the team in scoring at 21.0 points per game while Keyontae Johnson (17.5), Will Richardson (14.5) and David McCormack (13.5) are all averaging double figures.



Defending national champ and No. 21 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) will head to Springfield looking for redemption after a humbling loss last weekend to current No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.).

Star point guard Darius Garland and Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.), Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), Glendale (Springfield, Mo.), Ozark (Mo.), Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) and Webster Groves (Mo.) round out the eight-team field.

Championship games at JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University have regularly drawn 10,000-plus fans at the event. Past participants include Lonzo Ball, Bradley Beal, Alonzo Mourning, Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum and John Wall.