Week Ahead
FRIDAY 1/13
Sony Open Sixteen-year-old Michelle Wie (above), who turned pro in October, once again received a sponsor's exemption to play against the men in Hawaii, where she's failed to make the cut in her first two tries. ESPN 8 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday, ESPN 7 p.m.)
SATURDAY 1/14
SI PICK OF THE WEEK
Desert Showdown
That two-man scoring race between Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson (page 34) may soon feature a third contender. Thanks to six straight 30-point games, Cleveland's LeBron James (above left) has pushed his scoring average up to 30.6. James also leads the Cavs in assists with 5.8 per game, but he's got a long way to go to catch the runaway leader, Steve Nash (above right), whom he'll face tonight when the Cavs visit Phoenix. Nash is dishing out 10.9 per game on a team that is off to a 22-11 start despite the absence of star forward-center Amaré Stoudemire. Check listings 9 p.m.
SATURDAY 1/14
State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Sasha Cohen (below), who just missed a medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, is a lock for the U.S. Olympic team, but the remaining two spots are open. Injured Michelle Kwan won't participate, but she's petitioning the U.S. federation for a berth. That means youngsters Alissa Czisny, Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes could be fighting it out in St. Louis for the final spot. ABC 8 p.m.
SUNDAY 1/15
Australian Open
Her comeback hasn't reached Jordanesque proportions yet, but Martina Hingis looked pretty good in her return to the court. The 25-year-old (right), who retired in 2002 due to chronic foot, ankle and heel injuries, won her first three matches last week before bowing out in the semifinals of the Australian Women's Hardcourts. Now she'll return to Grand Slam play at an event she has won three times. ESPN2 7 p.m.
MONDAY 1/16
No. 3 LSU at No. 7 Connecticut
How good are the Lady Tigers? Good enough to win with three players. Last week against Auburn, LSU played for more than 29 minutes before someone other than Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles or Scholanda Hoston scored--but still won by 27. ESPN2 7 p.m.
THURSDAY 1/19
Indiana High School Basketball, Lawrence North versus North Central
Two of the nation's top recruits take center stage. Illinois-bound Eric Gordon (right), perhaps the Illini's best recruit in two decades, leads the state's No. 3 team, North Central, against top-ranked Lawrence North, led by Ohio State signee Greg Oden (SI, Dec. 6, 2004). North Central coach Doug Mitchell calls his star center "the best shot blocker I've seen since Bill Russell." ESPN2 7:30 p.m.
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ROBERT SORBO/REUTERS (JAMES)
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BRIAN KERSEY/AP (NASH)
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JEFF BARRIE/INDY SPORT PHOTOS (GORDON)
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PETER WALLIS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (HINGIS)
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ENNO FRIEDRICH/IMAGO/ICON SMI (COHEN)
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KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (WIE)