NBC, Versus and CSN become Caps fans for a night. Final Four on CBS

Tonight at the Phone Booth (the Verizon Center ), at 7p.m. a sell out crowd and likely a record TV audience will watch the “Little Red Machine” try to get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Executives at NBC, Versus and CSN are all hoping that the Caps win or at least get a point tonight putting them in the playoffs. It not secret that having Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps in the Stanley Cup Playoffs would mean far better ratings than having Carolina in the playoffs.The Capitals’ 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night drew a peak audience of 62,000 Comcast SportsNet viewers in the
Washington
,

DC
market, equating to a 2.7 rating.  The game averaged more than 50,000 homes or a 2.2 average rating, and a 2.7 average (37,000 viewers) among males aged 18 to 49. In Baltimore the game received a 1.0 rating, which would equal approximately 11,000 households. A key point is that the
Baltimore
#21 while the Washington market is the 8^th largest in the country. So the Caps rating in Baltimore was pretty strong and shows that there is a good hockey base in the city. It was the Caps best rating since they have been on CSN.

By the way on Sunday you can watch the Flyers-Pittsburgh on CSN at 3p.m. 

Well the Road to the Final Four has finally made its way to
San Antonio
and CBS 9 –DC, and 11 in both Baltimore and the Bay Area will have all the action.  

Things get underway this afternoon at 3:30p.m.  THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR®: OUTSIDE THE GAMES. Seth Davis hosts as CBS Sports examines the issues of youth basketball. The show features an in-depth interview with NCAA President Myles Brand and NBA Commissioner David Stern. 

At 4p.m. Greg Gumbel, Clark Kellogg and Davis host THE FINAL FOUR SHOW featuring tournament highlights, analysis and interviews with coaches and players. Contributing to the program are Dick Enberg, Lesley Visser and Tracy Wolfson.  

One feature that you do not want to miss is the one about the UCLA-Houston game. 

Forty years ago on January 20, 1968, No. 1 UCLA with a 47-game winning streak on the line, took on No. 2 Houston in a game in a nationally-televised game from the Astrodome in
Houston
that helped put college basketball on the map.  CBS Sports’ Dick Enberg, who called the game, takes a look back at that historic game in which Elvin Hayes and Houston knocked off Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and UCLA, 71-69.  Saturday’s Final Four features Memphis versus UCLA, with tip-off scheduled for 6:07 PM, ET.  Forty minutes after the game concludes
North Carolina
takes on Kansas to determine the final participant in Monday night’s championship game. For the 18th consecutive year Jim Nantz and Billy Packer are courtside to call the action. Packer is set to call his 34th consecutive Final Four and Championship Game, the first semi-final game on Saturday marks his 100th game in the series. Sam Ryan serves as reporter.