The Olympics are closing out this Sunday in Milan. As the competition enters its final stage, hockey takes the spotlight with NHL superstars finally competing for gold. This weekend features the men’s semifinals on Friday and the gold medal game on Sunday morning.

We also have a massive college basketball showdown in D.C. between two of the best teams in the country, and it’s stacking up to be the most anticipated game of the season. Lastly, the NBA is back from its All-Star break, and now things will ramp up as teams prepare for the playoff push.

Here’s your weekend preview starting with what matters most.

The stakes: Team USA swept the group stage and survived a tense overtime win against Sweden in the quarterfinals to reach the final four. Now they need to go through Slovakia, a dark horse in this tournament, to advance to the gold medal game. If the U.S. takes care of business on Friday, they're almost certainly on a collision course with Canada for gold Sunday morning. The rivalry game everyone wants to see is one win away.

What to watch for: Slovakia doesn't have the star power to match the U.S. on paper, but they've made it this far behind Juraj Slafkovsky, the Canadiens 2022 No. 1 overall pick, and MVP for this team during the tournament. The Sweden quarterfinal was a wake-up call for the U.S. and if their stars Matthews, Hughes, and Tkachuk brothers come out with urgency, Slovakia won’t have the depth to keep up.

Looking ahead: Should the U.S. win, Canada, the pre-tournament favorite, will likely be waiting on the other side should they notch a win against Finland in the early semifinal. A USA vs. Canada gold medal game on Sunday morning is the matchup the entire tournament has been building toward. Get ready to set your alarm.

Here are a few more major storylines across the Olympics worth tuning in for:

Women’s Hockey Gold Medal Game | USA vs. Canada (Thursday, 1:10pm, Peacock): Team USA has been dominant this Olympics outscoring opponents by a massive margin and putting up five consecutive shutouts. They already beat Canada 5-0 in the preliminary round and now they face them again in the gold medal game. This is the ultimate hockey rivalry, and the Americans come in as heavy favorites to close it out.

Skiing Halfpipe | Eileen Gu (Schedule): Gu is a global superstar who transcends sport as she’s balanced her Olympic dominance with her career as a high fashion model. Now she is sitting at five Olympic medals, a all-time record in freestyle skiing. Saturday's final is her shot to continue to cement her legacy.

Speed Skating | Jordan Stolz (Schedule): The American phenom has already won the 500m and 1000m with Olympic records. Now he enters the 1,500m and mass start event going for four gold medals. Winning these races would put him as just the third American to ever win three or more speed skating gold medals.

The stakes: Michigan (25-1) just became the top-ranked team in the country for the first time in 13 years. Duke (24-2) has been elite against top competition with a 8-2 record against ranked opponents this season, the best in the country. These are two of the best teams in the country meeting at a neutral site in D.C. before the madness begins, it doesn't get much better than this in the regular season.

What to watch for: Watch the battle in the paint in this one. Duke's Cameron Boozer is one of the best players in college basketball averaging nearly 23 points per game. He'll be matched up against Michigan's 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, who averages 3 blocks per game. If Mara can neutralize Boozer in the post, Michigan's offense could take over. Boozer vs. Mara is the game within the game and whoever wins this matchup likely decides who wins the afternoon.

The Betting Angle [Powered by WagerXpert]: Michigan is currently 3-point favorites in this matchup. They have been the better bet in big spots going 4-1 against the spread versus ranked opponents this season and 3-1 on neutral courts. Duke has struggled to cover in similar situations, going just 4-6 against the spread against ranked opponents and 2-2 on neutral sites. Vegas sees this as a close Michigan win and given their recent dominance it’s hard to bet against them.

More about WagerXpert: All the thrill, none of the pressure. Bet against your friends on https://wagerxpert.app/ just look us up!

The stakes: You don't need to follow the NBA to know Lakers vs. Celtics means something. It's the league's defining rivalry that goes back decades, and it's back on NBC on Sunday night. Boston (35-19) has been the league's biggest surprise. Most people wrote the Celtics off before the season started as they’ve been without their best player, Jayson Tatum, rehabbing from an achilles injury. Instead, they're sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference and playing some of their best basketball.

The Lakers (32-21) return from All-Star break with Luka Doncic expected back from a hamstring strain, reuniting with LeBron James, who just became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. The second half of the season starts this weekend, and this is the game to watch.

What to watch for: Jaylen Brown has been carrying Boston all season. He's averaging a career-high 29 points and has put himself in the MVP conversation. This is Luka's first game back since injury. If he's fully healthy and running the offense alongside LeBron, the Lakers have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with this Celtics team still missing their best player.

The Betting Angle [Powered by WagerXpert]: We project this one to be essentially a coin flip, but Boston has been excellent on the road this season as they are 17-10 against the spread away from home. The Lakers will be eager to make a statement at home in their first game back, which could be the edge in a game this close.

Must-watch:

Solid matchup:

3. Lakers vs. Celtics (Sunday 6:30pm, NBC) — The NBA's signature rivalry back on Sunday night.

— Backdrop Sports

New to Backdrop Sports? Forward this to a friend who's watching the games with you and follow along on Instagram (@backdropsports) for content throughout the week.