A handful of the best games of the weekend – everything from College Football, to the English Premier League, to the NHL – and why you should watch.

The Triple-Dub – Feb. 18th – 21st

College Lacrosse:

• Sunday Feb. 20th

#5 Duke (1-0) vs #6 Notre Dame (0-0) (EverBank Field – Jacksonville, FL) 3:00 PM ET – ESPN

Photo via zimbio.com

I’m not going to sit here and pretend I know the particulars about these teams but it’s a re-match of last year’s national championship game and there’s nothing like watching lacrosse played at a high level like these teams play.  Even if you don’t know much (or anything) about the sport I would encourage you to check it out on Sunday – you’ll probably like it.

National Basketball Association:

• Saturday Feb. 19th

All-Star Saturday Night (Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA) 8:30 PM ET – TNT

Events include Shooting Stars (sounds terrible), Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, and of course the Slam Dunk Contest featuring Blake Griffin.  Getting to see Griffin compete in the Dunk Contest will be worth watching alone but the Skills Challenge could be decent too.

• Sunday Feb. 20th

Eastern Conference @ Western Conference – NBA All-Star Game - (Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA) 8:00 PM ET -TNT

It’s the NBA All-Star Game which means it will be an ally-ooping, dunking, offensive exhibition unless it’s a close game in the 4th quarter and then you might see some defense.  These game are entertaining for the most part so if you aren’t doing anything Sunday night you might as well tune it to see the best basketball players in the world having some fun. And  since the game is on TNT that means we’ll get to see and hear plenty of Charles Barkley which is always a bonus if you ask me!  Prediction: Kevin Durant – MVP.

National Hockey League:

• Sunday Feb. 20th

Washington Capitals (30-19-10 – 70 pts) @ Buffalo Sabres (27-23-6 – 60 pts) (HSBC Arena – Buffalo, NY) 12:30 PM ET – NBC

Photo via zimbio.com

The Caps have struggled this season compared to last year along with superstar Alex Ovechkin (only 23 goals & 37 assists in 59 games).  If Ovechkin (pictured above) can get going and Capitals get some consistent goal-tending – a big if – I could see them finally making a run in the playoffs.  The Sabres on the other hand are fighting for a playoff spot (currently in 9th & out of the playoff picture) so they need every point they can get to finish the season.  Unlike the Capitals, the Sabres have a world class goalie – Ryan Miller – that could carry the team to the Stanley Cup provided they make the playoffs..

Pittsburgh Penguins (36-19-4 – 76 pts) @ Chicago Blackhawks (29-22-6 – 64 pts) (United Center – Chicago, IL) 3:30 PM ET – NBC

Similar to Washington, Chicago has underachieved compared to last year but are in danger of missing the playoffs completely which is hard to believe.  Meanwhile, the Penguins have battled through major injuries to superstars Sidney Crosby (out indefinitely with concussion symptoms) and Evgeni Malkin (out for the year with torn knee ligaments) leaving them just five points behind the Flyers for first place in the East. The Blackhawks better get it together to avoid the embarrassment of missing the playoffs the year after winning the Stanley Cup – Sunday afternoon would be a good time to turn things around.

College Basketball:

As I mentioned last week we’re nearing the end of the college basketball season so it might be a good time to start paying attention solely for the purpose of filling out your bracket.  There’s just a week or two until most most conference tournaments start and three weeks until March Madness.  Here are a handful of games potentially worth watching:

• Friday Feb. 18th

#12 UConn (20-5) @ #16 Louisville (19-7) – 9:00 PM ET – ESPN

• Saturday Feb. 19th

#7 Notre Dame (21-4) @ West Virginia (16-9) - 1:00 PM ET – CBS

Washington (18-7) @ #13 Arizona (22-4) - 6:00 PM ET – ESPN

#24 Utah State (24-3) @ #23 Saint Marys (22-5) – 9:00 PM ET – ESPN2

• Sunday Feb. 20th

#3 Ohio State (25-1) @ #11 Purdue (21-5) - 1:00 PM ET – CBS

• Monday Feb. 21st

#20 Syracuse (21-6) @ #14 Villanova (20-6) –  7:00 PM ET – ESPN

Obviously there will be plenty of other games on TV this weekend as well if you’re craving college basketball.

English Premier League:

Sorry – no EPL action this weekend.  Several EPL teams (Arsenal, Chelsea, Bolton, Everton, Manchester United, & Manchester City among others) are still competing in the FA Cup (Round 4/5) this weekend.  The action can be found on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus.

What are you watching this weekend?