It’s tournament time!

After four weeks of regular season play, the NBA 2K League’s first mid-season tournament is upon us. Welcome to “THE TURN,” which gets underway Friday at 2 PM ET.

Before the teams hit the court, here are 10 things to know ahead of the tournament — including a breakdown of the best matchups, the toughest path to the title and a prediction of who will be left standing at the end.

1. What will the 17 teams be competing for? For starters, a $150,000 prize pool is up for grabs. Capture the title, fatten your pockets. It’s a simple formula, but it won’t be easy. Unlike the round-robin style of the season-opening tournament, THE TURN is single-elimination format. Win and advance. Lose and go home. Even for the teams that don’t win the title, their placement could factor in at season’s end with tournament results serving as the tiebreaker for the postseason.

2. The tournament opens with a play-in game between the No. 16 and No. 17 teams in the standings. That honor goes to Raptors Uprising GC (No. 16) and Pacers Gaming (No. 17). The extra game is a tough proposition for any team, particularly with top-seeded Blazer5 Gaming awaiting the winner in the first round. Raptors Uprising was a defensive stop away from beating Blazer5 last week. Meanwhile, Pacers Gaming remains the league’s only winless team in the regular season.

3. Speaking of Blazer5, they enter as the odds-on favorites to capture the crown. They are unbeaten in four games during the regular season, and their only loss to date came at the hands of 76ers GC in the finals of THE TIPOFF. Blazer5 is tournament tested, paced by a strong trio in OneWildWalnut, Mama Im Dat Man and Dat Boy Shotz, and have shown they can win coming from behind. They’ll again be a tough out.

4. But what about 76ers GC, can they make it 2-for-2 in tournament play? They made a surprising run through THE TIPOFF to earn a steel champion banner, the first of three parts of THE BANNER CHAIN. They’ll look to add to their collection, but won’t be overlooked this time around. Teams will be ready to give their best shot.

5. Looking for the best matchups of the first round? These three games could provide the most fireworks:

• No. 6 Jazz Gaming vs. No. 11 Celtics Crossover Gaming (Friday, 8 PM ET): Two talented teams led by strong point guards in Celtics Crossover’s oFAB and Jazz Gaming’s Yeah I Compete, the second and third overall draft picks, respectively.
• No. 7 Wizards District Gaming vs. No. 10 Heat Check Gaming (Friday, 9 PM ET): Wizards District is hitting their stride at the right time, while Heat Check appears to have found their groove after some early season struggles.
• No. 5 Cavs Legion GC vs. No. 12 Knicks Gaming (Friday, 7 PM ET): Hood is set to return to the Cavs Legion’s lineup after a four-game absence. He’s averaging a league-best 33.5 PPG.

6. The bracket has the potential for numerous storylines as things progress. Here’s some intriguing future matchups for each round:

• Quarterfinals: No. 2 76ers GC vs No. 7 Wizards District Gaming
  The crew from D.C. nearly pulled off the upset two weeks ago. This is a chance to get it right.
• Semifinals: No. 1 Blazer5 Gaming vs No. 5 Cavs Legion GC
  The last time they met, Blazer5 knocked off Cavs Legion in the semifinals of THE TIPOFF.
• Finals: No. 1 Blazer5 Gaming vs No. 2 76ers GC
  One word: Rematch.

7. The world was introduced to Radiant of 76ers GC during THE TIPOFF. The point guard enjoyed a coming-out party, playing a huge part in his team’s march toward the title. These five players just might be in line for a similar breakthrough performance to catapult their teams this weekend.

• BallLikeSeem, Mavs Gaming — Deadly from distance. Scored 25 points last game
• Demon JT, Wizards District Gaming — More than capable of getting hot for a deep tourney run
• Hotshot, Heat Check Gaming — Averaging 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists
• MrSlaughter01, Jazz Gaming — Versatile big man nearly averages a double-double
• Timelycook, Kings Guard Gaming — Third-round point guard has been solid from season’s start

8. The team with the hardest path to the championship: Mavs Gaming. Their slate includes a quarterfinals matchup with either Celtics Crossover or Jazz Gaming, followed by a potential date with 76ers GC in the semifinals. Should they get past them into the final, a matchup with Blazer5 could loom. If they are able to win four straight games, they’ll definitely have earned the title.

9. On the flipside, the team with the easiest path to the championship: Blazer5 Gaming. There’s not many road blocks in their path as they’ll be favored against every team on their side of the bracket. They get the winner of the play-in game, followed by Kings Guard Gaming or Magic Gaming. However, a possible matchup with Cavs Legion in the semifinals has the potential to be a fun one.

10. It’s prediction time. I’m going to avoid picking chalk and choose Mavs Gaming over Cavs Legion to win the championship. Despite their tough draw, I think Mavs Gaming has the pieces for an extended tournament run. If their shooters get it going from distances, I like their chances. I’m going with Cavs Legion to get to the final on the other side of the bracket on the strength of Hood’s return. He carried his team to a deep run in THE TIPOFF and there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again. Cavs Legion has become a more-balanced team in his absence. Plus, their draw isn’t very daunting.