The 2011 Visitmesa.com Basketball Challenge won't be much different than previous years. Just trhe usual array of successful boys basketball teams from the Valley and Tucson (11 teams) and five quality squads from out of state.

The 5th annual showcase tournament takes place again at Mesa Mountain View High School Tuesday (Dec. 27) through Saturday (December 31). Games begin each day at 9 a.m. and continue through the last game of each day at 8:30 p.m. The Saturday schedule is limited to two games at noon and 1:30 p.m.

The 11 Arizona teams competing are: Amphitheater (11-1), Chaparral (5-5), Corona del Sol (9-1), Desert Vista (10-3), Dobson (9-4), Horizon (4-5), Mountain Pointe (8-0), Mesa Mountain View (6-3), Pinnacle (11-1), Red Mountain (10-3) and Arcadia (11-1). Amphi and Mountain View were state champs in their respective conferences last year. Chaparral was a state runner-up and the rest qualified for state tournaments except Dobson, which barely missed reaching the 5A-I tourney.

Accomplishments so far for this year's local teams include Mountain Pointe winning the Horizon Invitational 10 days ago by beating Horizon in the final, Amphi winning the Salpointe Tip-Off Classic two days after Thanksgiving and Pinnacle capturing the Paradise Valley Invitational after Turkey Day.  Desert Vista and Mountain View just finished playing in prestigious out-of-state tournaments in the last 7-10 days. Each lost two of three games. Red Mountain won 10 of its first 11 games and Arcadia has won its last 10 games after dropping an early-season encounter with Sandra Day O'Connor.

The five out-of-state schools this year are 5-0 American Fork HS (American Fork, Utah); 7-3 Gahr HS (Cerritos, Calif.); 6-3 McClymonds HS (Oakland, Calif.); 4-0 South Sioux City HS (Sioux City, Neb) and 2-0 Bartlett HS (Anchorage, Alaska). South Sioux City was a Nebraska state champion last year.

Here's the schedule for the first three days of the tournament that are locked in. The Friday schedule will be determined late in the afternoon on Thursday.

Tuesday (Dec. 27):  9 a.m. -- Bartlett vs. Red Mountain; 10:30 a.m. - Mountain Pointe vs. Gahr; Noon - Dobson vs. Chaparral; 1:30 p.m. - American Fork vs. Desert Vista; 4 p.m. - Red Mountain vs. McClymonds; 5:30 p.m. - Arcadia vs. Pinnacle; 7 p.m. - Mountain View vs. Horizon; 8:30 p.m. - Corona del Sol vs. Amphitheater.

Wednesday (Dec. 28): 9 a.m. -- Mountain Pointe vs. Chaparral; 10:30 a.m. - McClymonds vs. Pinnacle; Noon -- Corona del Sol vs.Bartlett; 1:30 p.m. - Amphitheater vs. South Sioux City; 4 p.m. - Arcadia vs. Red Mountain; 5:30 p.m -- Desert Vista vs. Horizon; 7 p.m. - Mountain View vs. American Fork; 8:30 p.m. - Dobson vs. Gahr.

Thursday (Dec. 29): 9 a..m. - Arcadia vs. McClymonds; 10:30 a.m. - Bartlett vs. Amphitheater; Noon - Mountain Pointe vs. Dobson; 1:30 p.m. - Horizon vs. American Fork; 4 p.m. - Chaparral vs. Gahr; 5:30 p.m. - Pinnaclevs. Red Mountain; 7 p.m. - South Sioux City vs. Corona del Sol; 8:30 p.m. - Mountain View vs. Desert Vista.