Gilchrist vs. Rivers among highlights of huge hoops weekend

A showdown Friday night between a pair of nationally-ranked teams featuring the top two players in MaxPreps.com's 2011 Top 100 sets a huge high school basketball weekend in motion.

No. 2 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) makes its second trip to the Sunshine State already this season to face No. 24 Winter Park (Fla.) in a game that will be televised by ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

St. Patrick features Kentucky-bound Michael Gilchrist, MaxPreps.com's top-rated 2011 prospect in the country, while Winter Park counters with No. 2 Austin Rivers, a Duke signee. Both are prime candidates for national player of the year honors and saw plenty of each other last month at the City of Palms Classic.

With weather a major cause for concern as teams attempt to make the trip from all over the country, the Spalding Hoophall Classic begins Friday in Springfield, Mass., and is widely regarded as the top non-tournament event on the slate this season. Nine ranked teams will be in action, including No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), St. Patrick and No. 4 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.).

Oak Hill Academy's tilt with No. 11 Milton (Ga.) is one of two contests featuring Xcellent 25 programs going head-to-head. St. Anthony takes on No. 20 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) in the other.

In Springfield, Mo., the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions begins its 27th year today on the campus of Missouri State University.

First-round pairings include Branson (Mo.) taking on Oak Ridge Military Academy (Oak Ridge, N.C.), Parkview (Springfield, Mo.) vs. De La Salle (Chicago, Ill.), Nixa (Mo.) vs. La Verne Lutheran (La Verne, Calif.) and Douglass (Oklahoma City, Okla.) vs. Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.).

Branson, Nixa and Parkview will be looking to become the first host state champion at the event since Kickapoo (Springfield) did it 2005. Past MVPs at the Bass Pro include Alonzo Mourning, Anthony Peeler, Lamar Odom, Kyle Singler and John Wall.

MaxPreps will continue its look at a huge weekend of hoops Friday with a rundown of Monday Martin Luther King Jr. events.

Spalding Hoophall Classic
Blake Arena – Springfield, Mass. / Jan. 14-17
Games involving ranked teams [Complete schedule]
4 p.m. Saturday – No. 4 St. Anthony vs. No. 20 DeMatha
8 p.m. Saturday – No. 1 Oak Hill Academy vs. No. 11 Milton
2 p.m. Sunday – No. 22 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) vs. St. Andrew's (Barrington, R.I.)
1 p.m. Monday – No. 2 St. Patrick vs. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
3 p.m. Monday – No. 18 Lincoln (Dallas, Texas) vs. No. 22 Findlay Prep
5 p.m. Monday – No. 17 Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn, Pa.) vs. Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions
JQH Arena – Springfield, Mo. / Jan. 13-16
First-round pairings
5 p.m. – Branson vs. Oak Ridge
6:30 p.m. – De La Salle vs. Parkview
8 p.m. – La Verne Lutheran vs. Nixa
9:30 p.m. – Douglass vs. Greater Atlanta Christian