Weekend Watch: Mission impossible for Archbishop Mitty?

Another big weekend of high school basketball gets underway early with a high-profile Thursday doubleheader that will be televised by ESPN.

All four teams participating in the Thursday night throwdown are ranked in this week's Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard.

The festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. EST with No. 7 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) going on the road to take on No. 12 Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas). The Texas squad is likely to be without No. 2 Class of 2013 prospect Andrew Harrison, who also missed Saturday night's loss to rival Fort Bend Bush (Richmond).

Top-ranked Simeon (Chicago) takes on No. 16 DeSoto (Texas) in the second game, which begins at 6:30 p.m. EST and also goes down in the Lone Star State.

Weekend Watch
Five key games likely to impact next week's national rankings.

* No. 1 Simeon (Chicago) vs. No. 16 DeSoto (Texas): This will be a major litmus test for Wolverines. DeSoto has already played 15 games and had plenty of time to work out the kinks. The Eagles will dig in on defense and hope Duke-bound senior guard Matt Jones can make enough plays to pull them through. The health of Jabari Parker will determine the formula for Simeon. Don't be surprised if this game is played in the 40s.

* No. 4 Chester (Pa.) vs. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.): Chester will bring its 59-game winning streak to the Under Armour I-95 Elite Showcase to take on Brooklyn's finest. Chester won its opener impressively earlier this week, but that's unlikely to impress Lincoln, who sports a 5-0 record and is averaging 99 points per game.

* No. 7 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) vs. No. 12 Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas): Mitty climbed in the rankings after an impressive sweep over Jesuit (Carmichael) and Sheldon (Sacramento) last weekend. The Monarchs will need another successful double dip in the next four days to stay there. After a quick trip to Texas to take on the potentially Andrew Harrison-less Travis Tigers, Aaron Gordon and company will play dangerous Lincoln (San Diego) in the Drew Gordon Invitational on Saturday at El Cerrito High School.

* Pope John XXIII (Sparta, N.J.) vs. Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.): Things finally get underway in New Jersey with a host of compelling games at the Tip-Off Hoop Group Showcase at West Orange High School. Two-time defending national champ St. Anthony (Jersey City) and Academy Top 10-ranked St. Benedict's Prep (Newark) are both in action, but this Saturday matchup should get the crowd buzzing. Both teams feature highly-regarded forwards in Jermaine Lawrence (Pope John XXIII) and Syracuse signee Tyler Roberson (Roselle Catholic).

* Math Civics & Sciences (Philadelphia) vs. South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.): The annual VILLA Classic pits Philly's best against top teams from New York City. This year's installment will be played Saturday at Arcadia University in the City of Brotherly Love. The Mighty Elephants of Math, Civics & Sciences are loaded with Division I prospects, including senior leaders Jeremiah Worthem and Britton Lee – who are both headed to Robert Morris. Connecticut signee Terrence Samuel and Towson verbal Shamiek Sheppard lead South Shore.

Other tournaments/events of interest

* California powers Deer Valley (Antioch), Pacific Hills (Los Angeles) and Westchester (Los Angeles) will participate in the National Prep Classic, which runs through the weekend at St. Joseph High School and Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria.

* Kansas State signee Marcus Foster and Hirschi (Wichita Falls, Texas) are among the headliners at the DFW Basketball Challenge. The Saturday showcase will be held at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center in Fort Worth.

* The aforementioned Drew Gordon Invitational features a NorCal vs. SoCal format with Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) vs. Pacific Hills, El Cerrito vs. Palma (Salinas), Newark Memorial vs. Inglewood and Salesian (Richmond) vs. Serra (Gardena) rounding out the event.

* Aquille Carr and Princeton Day Academy (Lanham, Md.) and red hot Josh Hart and Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) highlight the Saturday-Sunday lineup at the DMVelite Holiday Classic, slated for Trinity University in the nation's capital.