Hey Sport! On the Bubble Edition
Last week's slate of games elicited emotions ranging from despair to jubilation for our area teams, and this week should be equally as tumultuous; the postseason fate of numerous squads hangs in the balance. This week's picks are listed below; feel free to add your own in the comments and email me with suggestions for next week.
TUESDAY
The Washington Wizards begin a 4-game homestand tonight against Milwaukee. The Bucks sit at a wretched 23-40 on the season, but their membership to the (L)Eastern Conference gives them a shot at the playoffs. The Wizards, meanwhile, maintain their precarious hold on the sixth seed as the charging Sixers try to wrest it away. 7 p.m., CSN, or buy tickets here.
WEDNESDAY
With the Wizards and Capitals alternating home games this week, the Verizon Center's grounds crew will certainly get a workout. The Capitals' first game will be their most important. If the Caps bounce back from this weekend's pair of last-minute defeats, they could use that momentum to catapult them back into the race. If the first-place Calgary Flames hand Washington another defeat, their postseason chances will look dimmer by the day. 7 p.m., CSN, or buy tickets here.
THURSDAY
When LeBron James comes to town, any game gets elevated to must-see status. The potential league MVP has been the Wizards' white whale; King James ended Washington's season last year and has handed them both soul-crushing and heart-breaking defeats this season. With Wizards stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler still sidelined by injuries, Antawn Jamison will have to play the part of Captain Ahab by himself. 8 p.m., TNT.
We'll have a comprehensive College Hoops Rundown for you tomorrow, so for now we'll keep it brief: this Thursday Maryland needs to win its first-round ACC tournament match against Boston College. A loss will banish them to the NIT's humiliating purgatory. 9:30 p.m.
Georgetown, on the other hand, is playing for seeding at this point. Their opponent will be Villanova or Syracuse. Both potential opponents will be trying to play their way into the field of 64; whichever desperate team the Hoyas encounter will prepare them well for the Big Dance. 12:00 p.m., ESPN.
Photo of the Wizards vs. Magic game last week by cstein96
FRIDAY
The spotlight will shine even brighter on American University this Friday when they take on Colgate in the nationally televised Patriot League final. After vanquishing Holy Cross and Army, one more win stands between them and the NCAA Tournament. 4:45 p.m., ESPN2.
If the Washington Capitals are still in the playoff picture by the end of the week, each remaining game will matter, even one against the bottom-feeding Atlanta Thrashers. Either way, fans will witness an exciting duel: Atlanta star Ilya Kovalchuk is second in the NHL in goals to our very own Alexander Ovechkin. 7 p.m., CSN.
SATURDAY
Put the L.A. Clippers in the Eastern Conference and they'd still be in playoff contention. In the west, they're 18 games back and effectively eliminated, which means one thing: tanking time! If Cleveland gives Washington another whuppin' on Thursday, this Clips game would shape up to be a welcome respite. 7 p.m., CSN and NBATV.
SUNDAY
A popular barroom debate among sports fans ranks the levels of losing: is it worse to suffer a blowout or a nail-biter? The Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins will showcase their respective bruised egos after suffering these defeats to each other in the past two weeks. 3 p.m., CSN.