Sony Open in Hawaii, Thursday, 7 p.m., Golf Channel
The PGA has their first big tournament of 2010 and we might get to see who will be stepping up to fill the Tiger Woods void. All four rounds of the Sony Open will air in primetime Thursday through Sunday — so even with the cold weather outside, you can still watch some golf inside. — Jim Williams

BOLD PREDICTIONS

1. The final four undefeated college basketball teams entering the weekend will all be in the Final Four » There’s a certain realization that must occur when the Georgetown Hoyas — whose roster really runs only about six and a half players deep (five starters plus Hollis Thompson and little else) — can legitimately be among the top 15-20 teams in the country, that college basketball overall just isn’t that great this season. But there are teams that are great. Four of them, in fact: Kansas, Kentucky, Texas and Purdue, all of whom went into this weekend still without a loss. Now, they each will lose games before the NCAA Tournament — who hasn’t circled Feb. 8 on their calendar, when the Jayhawks visit the Longhorns? But whether it’s the leadership of Kansas point guard Sherron Collins, the dominance of Texas forward Damion James, the stunning skills of Kentucky’s freshman phenom John Wall, or the all-around athleticism of the Boilermakers, this quartet is and will remain a cut above and should make reservations for Indianapolis. — Craig Stouffer

2. Agent Zero will return this year » Why was Gilbert Arenas suspended by the NBA? Not because he brought guns to the Verizon Center, but because he thumbed his nose at the NBA. His pregame shoot-em-up in Philadelphia and cavalier comments following the game were too much for Commissioner David Stern (and many NBA fans) to stomach. But after the matter is resolved legally with no jail time, Arenas’ offenses will appear less egregious. He will have been penalized appropriately for his stupidity. Later this season, he will meet with the commissioner, express his contrition appropriately and get reinstated. There will be tight controls on his behavior as he returns to the court. The Wizards will have been unsuccessful in their attempts to void Arenas’ contract and the marriage between player and team will be impossible to sustain. In the offseason, the Wizards, under new ownership, will clean house and find a taker for Areans, even if it means getting virtually nothing in return. — Kevin Dunleavy

3. The CAA will have as many teams make NCAA tournament as the Pac-10 » Think this is far-fetched? Four Pac-10 teams have .500 overall records or worse early in conference play — a disaster for a Division I team with postseason hopes — and USC has banned itself from the postseason because of recruiting violations regarding former star guard O.J. Mayo. That’s half the league right there. Washington is the best team in the Pac-10 and the only one ranked last week. California was widely tabbed as a tournament team, but didn’t have a win of note heading into the weekend. Oregon’s victory at Washington was impressive. There’s not much else on the Ducks’ resume. Arizona State lost its first two league games. In the Colonial, meanwhile, William & Mary has already knocked off Maryland and Wake Forest on the road. Old Dominion has a win at Georgetown. Both will have strong resumes come tournament time — even if a team like George Mason steals the league’s automatic bid and leaves them on the bubble. — Brian McNally

PLAYER TO WATCH
Brooks Laich, Capitals, forward
One of the Capitals’ on-ice leaders has been mired in a goal-scoring slump for the last month. Entering the weekend, Laich has lit the lamp only once, and that was a deflection off a shot by Alex Ovechkin, since his goal Dec. 5 against the Flyers. This has caused Laich to put a lot of undue pressure on himself, skating before and after practice prior to the team’s flight to Atlanta on Friday. The pressure he’s feeling is all in his head. Sure, he has two goals in his last 15 games — and even if you throw out the goal on Dec. 28, he’s still only one game past his longest drought of the 2008-09 campaign (13 games). As it stands, his 30 points (11 goals) through 43 games is a slightly better pace than his 53 points (23 goals) in 82 contests last season. But Laich is a tough competitor and he’s not where he wants to be. So keep an eye out for No. 21 where he does his best work — around the crease. — Leon Saffelle

FIVE UP & FIVE DOWN


UP

1. Adrian Beltre » How much is a third baseman worth coming off a season with 8 homers, 44 RBI and a .265 batting average?

2. Nick Saban » He became the first college football coach to win BCS titles at two schools — Alabama and LSU in 2003.

3. Evan Turner » The versatile Ohio State swingman returned for the Buckeyes after missing six games with broken bones in his lower back.

4. Arkansas » The Razorbacks’ pro-style quarterback Ryan Mallet has decided to stay in school and lead Arkansas’ rejuvenated offense.

5. Mark McGwire » St. Louis manager Tony La Russa has a dream to have Big Mac, the team’s hitting coach, in the lineup next year.


DOWN
1. Jim Mora » Congrats, you became the first coach in Seahawks history to be let go after only one season.

2. Pacquiao-Mayweather » The fight everyone is dreaming about seems less likely to happen every day.

3. Jim Leavitt » South Florida coach was fired after an investigation concluded Leavitt grabbed a player by the throat and slapped him.

4. Jevan Snead » The Ole Miss quarterback will forgo his senior season after not living up to the hype — throwing 20 interceptions this season.

5. Josh Cribbs » The Browns receiver/returner/Wildcat quarterback is not happy with his contract and cleaned out his locker.

— Jeffrey Tomik