Week Ahead

What to watch and watch for

FRIDAY 11/24

On Shelves:Starbury 1
The Road Shoe
Knicks guard Stephon Marbury has been erratic this season, but his line oflow-priced footwear is a hit. (The shoe he released in August—no different inquality, he says, from $100 sneakers—sold out in three days.) Marbury's latest,which he's wearing for road games (above), drops today and will sell for$14.98.

SATURDAY11/25

Rangers atPenguins
Which is brighter, Pittsburgh's future or its past? Young guns Sidney Crosby(28 points) and Evgeni Malkin (16) can make a case for the former when New Yorkand ex-Penguins star Jaromir Jagr (right) come to town. Jagr (32 points) is theNHL's leading scorer, and the Rangers have the league's fifth-best road record.Check listings 7:30 p.m.

SI PICK OF THEWEEK

SATURDAY11/25

QuinnEssential
Fortunately for Notre Dame, college football pollsters have short memories. TheIrish's pummeling at the hands of Michigan in September feels like ancienthistory now that they've won eight straight. With another victory at USC thisweek, 10--1 Notre Dame, ranked fifth in the BCS, could land a berth in the BCStitle game—or at least guarantee that the third-ranked 9--1 Trojans don't getin. The streak has been especially good for Irish QB Brady Quinn (above). Hecan bolster his Heisman candidacy against USC, which has the nation's57th-ranked pass defense. ABC 8 p.m.

SUNDAY 11/26

Nets at Lakers
Wilt. Kareem. Shaq. Andrew? The Lakers have the makings of another seven-footmountain in the middle: 19 year-old center Andrew Bynum, who has been tutoredby Abdul-Jabbar since L.A. made him the 10th pick in the 2005 draft. In hisfirst year as a starter, Bynum (right) is averaging 10.3 points per game and isthe team's second-leading rebounder. Check listings 9:30 p.m.

TUESDAY 11/28

On Shelves:Marshall University: Ashes to Glory
This Emmy-winning 2000 documentary, now out on DVD, looks at the 1970 planecrash that killed 36 members of the Marshall football team and how its youngcoach, Jack Lengyel (played by Matthew McConaughey in the upcoming movie We AreMarshall) rebuilt the program.

WEDNESDAY11/29

No. 5 Ohio Stateat No. 2 North Carolina
No, the Freshman Fifteen isn't the number of college hoops rookies who willplay in this game, but it's close. The Tar Heels and Buckeyes have thecountry's two best freshman classes. Carolina's top newbie is swingman BrandanWright (14.3 points per game). The leader of Ohio State's so-called Thad Five,the talented quintet recruited by coach Thad Matta, is point guard Mike Conley,who is keeping the Buckeyes afloat until Greg Oden returns from wrist surgeryin January. ESPN 9 p.m.

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ANDY ALTENBURGER/ICON SMI (NOTRE DAME)

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CARLOS M. SAAVEDRA (DVD)

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LOU CAPOZZOLA (JAGR)

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ICON SPORTS MEDIA (BYNUM)

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GREG NELSON (MARBURY)