The eighth Charlotte Hoops Challenge basketball tournament is going to the best in the tournament’s history, officials feel.

For an event that has had NBA lottery picks Andrew Wiggins, Jamal Murray and Bam Adebayo play in the past, that’s a big statement. This year’s event, being held Nov. 24-25 at Berry High School near uptown Charlotte, features seven players ranked in ESPN’s top 100 national poll. Six of them are from North Carolina.

The event will also feature several of the state’s top teams.

On Friday, for example, N.C. girls powers South Meck and Providence Day play at 11:30 a.m. Later, N.C. 1A public school champ Lincoln Charter faces N.C. 1A private school champ Burlington School; and N.C. 3A regional finalist Hickory Ridge girls face Fayetteville’s Northwood Temple, which has two top 10 rated point guards nationally in Ciara Moore and Kendal Moore. Hickory Ridge returns all five starters and added Division I recruits Courtney Meadows (Butler) and Rinna Green (Butler).

Finally Friday, N.C. Independent Schools 2A semifinalist Gaston Day -- which returns all five starters -- will play N.C. 3A Independent Schools semifinalist Providence Day in the showcase nightcap game. Providence Day is 8-0 in this tournament all-time.

On Saturday, the final three games are eye-openers: N.C. Independent Schools semifinalist Cannon School faces a Butler team expected to be a N.C. 4A public schools state championship contender; girls powers Ardrey Kell and Mallard Creek meet; and in the nightcap, Cox Mill faces Providence Day.

Cox Mill won the N.C. 3A public school championship last season and features N.C. public schools coaches association state player of the year Wendell Moore. Cox Mill also added Rechon “Leaky” Black, a 6-foot-8 senior who has committed to North Carolina. Black played his junior year at national power Montverde Academy near Orlando, Fla.

Black and Moore plan to take an unofficial visit to Chapel Hill this weekend.

▪ Six N.C. ESPN Top 100 players will play: Devon Dotson, Providence Day (No. 26, 2018); Rechon Black, Cox Mill (No. 48, 2018); Jairus Hamilton, Cannon (No. 55, 2018); Manny Bates, Northwood Temple (No. 78, 2018); Nate Hinton, Gaston Day (No. 95, 2018); and Cox Mill’s Wendell Moore (No. 25, 2019). There is one S.C. player ranked: York Prep’s DJ Burns (No. 52, 2019)