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 – March 4th – 8th

English Premier League:

• Saturday March 5th

Sunderland (9-10-9 – 37 pts) @ Arsenal (17-5-5 – 56 pts) (Emirates Stadium – London, England)  10:00 AM ET – FSC

Arsenal has a chance on Saturday to gain points on league leaders Man United. The Gunners played well in the FA Cup against Leyton Orient on Wednesday but Sunderland should provide a more difficult challenge after the devastating loss in the Carling Cup Final last weekend.  With several big names out with injury, the Gunners need to play well in the back (obviously not a given) and get contributions from Samir Nasri, Jack Wilshere, & Marouane Chamakh to close the gap on United.

• Sunday March 6th

Manchester United (17-9-2 – 60 pts) @ Liverpool (11-6-11 – 39 pts) (Anfield – Liverpool, England) 8:30 AM ET – FSC

The North West derby between United and Liverpool is one of the most famous rivalries in English soccer. Both clubs will be fired up for Sunday’s meeting – United is coming off a 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Tuesday that re-opened the EPL title race and Liverpool is coming off a 3-1 loss to West Ham (currently in a relegation spot).  English youngster Andy Carroll could potentially make his debut for the Reds after the club paid a $60 million transfer fee to get him from Newcastle at the end of January.  United need a result after dropping points earlier this week – it should be a good one!

Champions League:

• Tuesday March 8th

Arsenal @ Barcelona – Round of 16 – 2nd Leg – (Camp Nou – Barcelona, Spain) 2:45 PM ET – FSC

Photo via zimbio.com

Set your DVR, take a long lunch, or take the whole afternoon off – you don’t want to miss the second leg of this Champions League clash.  Arsenal won the first leg at the Emirates with a thrilling 2-1 come from behind victory against the best club in the world.  The Gunners will be without starters Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, & Theo Walcott but should have captain Cesc Fabregas available. Arsenal advances to the quarterfinals with a win or draw which will be no easy task with a shaky back line against the likes of Xavi, Messi, & David Villa.  If Barcelona scores  first, expect the play to open up even more as the Gunners look for an equalizer. Regardless of who your team is (or even if you don’t have one), tune in on Tuesday for some of the best soccer in the world. Note – I know Tuesday isn’t typically considered part of the weekend but this had to be on here.

National Basketball Association:

• Friday March 4th

Chicago Bulls (41-18) @ Orlando Magic (39-22) (Amway Center – Orlando, FL) 7:00 PM ET – ESPN

The teams are currently third and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings fighting for seeding and more home court advantage in the playoffs. The Bulls are one of the best young teams in the league built around their superstar point guard Derick Rose.  The Magic on the other hand are built around their superstar, super-freak center Dwight Howard.  Watching the contrasting styles and the two superstars should be entertaining but keep an eye on Bulls center Joakim Noah to see if he can effectively guard Howard in the post.

• Sunday March 6th

Chicago Bulls (41-18) @ Miami Heat (43-17) (American Airlines Arena – Miami, FL) 1:00 PM ET – ABC

Photo via zimbio.com

Yes, the Bulls again. I don’t know why ESPN/ABC has been doing this. But anyway, this should be a good one between two of the favorites in the East. Considering how well the Bulls have been playing, I wonder if LeBron has had any second thoughts about his decision to join the Heat – “knowing” LeBron, probably not. Anyway, watch for LeBron to try and guard D-Rose at some point in the game – he wasn’t very successful in the Bulls 93-89 victory last week.

Los Angeles Lakers (43-19) @ San Antonio Spurs (50-11) (AT&T Center –  San Antonio, TX) 3:30 PM ET – ABC

Tony Parker injured his leg last Sunday and is expected to be out for two to four weeks.  The Spurs have gone 1-1 with Parker out of the lineup but have a chance to “make a statement” by beating the Lakers without TP on Sunday.  San Antonio plays the Heat on Friday night so it will be interesting to see how they fare in back-to-back big games without their leader at the point.  The Lakers have turned things around since the All-Star break having won five in a row but you know the Spurs will be looking to show Kobe & Phil who the top dogs are out West – we’ll see if Popovich and Duncan can get it done without TP.

College Basketball:

Here are some basketball games you might want to check on this weekend as the regular season comes to an end. Less than weeks until the Madness!!

• Saturday March 5th

#2 Kansas (28-2) @ #24 Missouri (22-8) – 12:00 PM ET – CBS

#11 Louisville (23-7) @ West Virginia (19-10) – 12:00 PM ET – ESPN

#7 Notre Dame (24-5) @ #16 UConn (21-8) – 2:00 PM ET – ESPN

#19 Villanova (21-9) @ #5 Pittsburgh (26-4) – 4:00 PM ET – CBS

#14 Florida (23-6) @ #20 Vanderbilt (21-8) – 6:00 PM ET – ESPN

#4 Duke (27-3) @ #13 North Carolina (23-6) – 8:00 PM ET – CBS

#8 Texas (24-6) @ Baylor (18-11) – 9:00 PM ET – ESPN

• Sunday March 6th

#23 Kentucky (21-8) @ Tennessee (17-12) – 12:00 PM ET – CBS

#10 Wisconsin (22-6) @ #1 Ohio State (28-2) – 4:00 PM ET – CBS

National Hockey League:

There are a few NHL games on national TV this weekend – Flyers @ Rangers (Sunday – NBC),  Sabres @ Wild (Sunday – NBC), and Capitals @ Lightning (Monday – Versus) – but these games are boring and full of East Coast teams and I certainly don’t support the East Coast bias. Watch these snoozers at your own risk..

What are you watching this weekend?