Week Ahead

What to watch and watch for

THURSDAY 2/28
No. 19 Michigan State at No. 11 Wisconsin
After the Spartans suffered back-to-back losses to Purdue and Indiana, coach Tom Izzo sent for reinforcements—namely, Magic Johnson. Izzo didn't have the Spartans legend suit up, but he did have Johnson address the troops. "His message wasn't all, 'Put a smile on your face and have some fun,'" Izzo says. "It was, 'You have a job to do, and you have some things to get after.'" Like beating the Badgers, who lead the Big Ten.
ESPN2 9 p.m.

MONDAY 3/3
No. 4 Rutgers at No. 1 Connecticut
The Huskies have Epiphanny Prince (right) to thank for that 1 in their loss column. The Scarlet Knights sophomore put up a career-high 33 points in the teams' first meeting, on Feb. 5, when Rutgers edged UConn 73--71. But the Huskies have bounced back, winning their five games since by an average of 38.6 points. And now they're out to even the score on their own court.
ESPN2 7 p.m.

TUESDAY 3/4
Sabres at Flyers
The problem with having a team full of goons, as Philadelphia's Broad Street Bullies are learning, is that physical play can hurt the team too. The Flyers, who have six players on injured reserve, haven't won since Feb. 5 and have gone from battling for the Atlantic Division lead to fighting for the final playoff spot in the East. Versus 7 p.m.

Champions League quarterfinals: Arsenal at AC Milan
The Gunners' hopes for returning to the final (Arsenal lost to Barcelona in 2006) took a hit over the weekend when high-scoring forward Eduardo suffered a compound fracture of his lower leg. Who'll fill the void? Possibly Theo Walcott (left), who made England's '06 World Cup roster as a 17-year-old and scored twice last Saturday.
Check listings 2:45 p.m.

WEDNESDAY 3/5
Twins at Yankees
With tense negotiations with manager Joe Torre (unsuccessful) and A-Rod (successful) and having stars past (Roger Clemens) and present (Andy Pettitte) dragged through a steroid scandal, the Yanks made plenty of news over the winter. Now back on the field, the big story is Joe Girardi (right), the team's first new skipper since 1996.
ESPN 1 p.m.

SI PICK OF THE WEEK

SATURDAY 3/1
American Cup
Will Shawn Johnson (above) become America's Sweetheart this summer? Coke, Adidas and HyVee certainly hope so. They're among the companies that have already signed the 16year-old high school sophomore from Des Moines to endorse their products. Why the stampede? Well, Johnson won the all-around at every competition she entered last year—including the world championships—as she became the favorite to win gold at the Beijing Games in August. She'll defend her American Cup title at Madison Square Garden.
NBC 1 p.m.

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BERND WEISSBROD/EPA (JOHNSON)

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NOAH K. MURRAY/THE STAR-LEDGER/US PRESSWIRE (GIRARDI)

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KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/AP (WALCOTT)

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JIM O'CONNOR/US PRESSWIRE (PRINCE)