One of the most anticipated match-ups of this weekend’s Breakdown Tip Off Classic is Prior Lake taking on Osseo. This is a high profile match-up of bigs, two of the better guards in the metro going head-to-head, some football standouts who double as basketball producers, and a lot of role players who will impact the game. Oh yeah, and a veteran coach of several state tournaments going against one of the brighter young minds in Minnesota basketball today.

Carson Shanks, a recent commit to Utah State, opened up his season Tuesday with 18 points on the inside against Henry Sibley. Sibley is a tough team but they didn’t have a big for Carson to smash against like Osseo does in sophomore Ian Theisen. Shanks versus Theisen is the top big man match-up of the day and will draw much college attention.

In the back court, Osseo junior Bridge Tusler is a top 15 player in Minnesota’s 2013 class while Jon Sobaski is a top 10 player in the sophomore class. Tusler made a name for himself in the state tournament with his defensive efforts and in the off-season his work has made him a high-level offensive weapon as well. Sobaski is a tough competitor who will be among the metro scoring leaders for the next three seasons. Between Tusler and Sobaski, the game will include a pair of high level guards.

Role players will also impact the game. DJ Hebert, Will Johnson, and Michael Brush of Osseo and Jack Kaiser, Matt Dysthe, and Evan Kotchevar of Prior Lake are key players. Veteran Coach Tim Theisen of Osseo and second year coach Alex Focke of Prior Lake will call the shots.