COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Well, that didn't take long. With the opening of Africentric's new building and state of the art gym, the Nubians are hosting five games on Saturday as part of the first annual The Challenge. 

Pitting five City League teams against four OCC teams and St. Charles of the Central Catholic League, Saturday is sure to offer great matchups and a host of talented players. The nightcap includes the return of The Bates Bowl, as Africentric, led under the direction of longtime coach Michael Bates, takes on Pickerington North, who is coached by brother Jason Bates. The Bates brothers haven't coached against one another since the 2013-14 season when Jason was still at Walnut Ridge.

You can find out more about the event on The Challenge's website here. 

The matchups are as follows:

Undefeated South takes on Westland to open the day. South has played excellent basketball so far, as the Bulldogs have shown an ability to win in both up-tempo games and slow-down half-court games. Westland can put up points, as the Cougars have four players averaging double-figures, which could make for a shootout to open Saturday's action. 

The second matchup is a good one between two teams with a lot of size. Beechcroft comes in looking to keep its winning ways alive. The Cougars are long, athletic and like to cause havoc and score in transition. St. Charles on the other hand, has size in the front court, shooting on the wings, and the discipline to slow teams down and out-execute them. This one could go either way.

In a rematch of last year's district semifinals, Northland and Upper Arlington clash in a Top 10 battle in Division I. The Vikings are looking for revenge, while Upper Arlington is aiming to stay undefeated. Look for the wing guard matchup of Jejuan Weatherspoon and Dane Goodwin to be something to watch. 

The final undercard matchup of the night is a good one. Two teams with players that are very familiar with one another, Eastmoor and Westerville North should be a battle. Westerville North is a guard-oriented team with a lot of scoring potential, while Eastmoor excels more with its wings and bigs. We expect this to be a tightly contested game. 

The Bates Bowl is back for primetime! Squaring off at the brand new Africentric, the Nubians and Pickerington North come together for an intriguing nightcap matchup. Africentric has been led by its talented backcourt of Landon Martin and Tre Baumgardner, who are nearly averaging 40 points combined. Pickerington North has been led by its junior class, with no player coming up bigger than Jerome Hunter. Look for this to be a battle!