Basha has moved up quickly. The Bears went 8-2 in 4A in 2004, then reached the playoffs last season in their first year at 5A, but return only one starter on offense.
With all the turnover, Basha coach Tim McBurney figures he'll need two or three games to figure out what he's working with.
Tucson lost four consecutive games to open its 2005 season, then lost three in a row to finish the season. The Badgers begin anew with Vince Smith taking over the coaching reins from Jeff Green. Smith was an assistant under McBurney at Tempe in 1997 and coached Mesa Desert Ridge. The first step will be to reverse an 0-5 home record from 2005.
Gametime: 7 p.m.
Address: 400 N. 2nd Ave., Tucson
2005 records: Basha 6-5; Tucson 2-8
