Grand Strand viewer’s guide for the sports week ahead (Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2016)

▪ The prestigious Beach Ball Classic, a boys basketball tournament, tips off Monday and runs through Saturday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

▪ The Coastal Carolina men’s basketball team begins Sun Belt play Saturday with a visit to Texas-Arlington (5:30 p.m.).

▪ The CCU women’s basketball team also begins Sun Belt play by taking on UT-Arlington on the road (3 p.m.).

▪ The Clemson men’s basketball team hosts UNC-Wilmington (7 p.m. Wednesday) before beginning ACC play at Wake Forest on Saturday (noon).

▪ The South Carolina men’s basketball team plays at Memphis on Friday (9 p.m.).

▪ The Carolina Panthers wrap up the 2016 season with a trip to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox).

▪ The College Football Playoff semifinals are Saturday, with Alabama facing Washington at 3 p.m. in the Peach Bowl (ESPN) and Clemson playing Ohio State at 7 p.m. in the Fiesta Bowl (ESPN).

▪ There are 21 other bowl games this week. The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl featuring Mississippi State vs. Miami (Ohio) is set for 11 a.m. Monday (ESPN), followed by the Quick Lane Bowl (Boston College vs. Maryland) at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2) and Independence Bowl (N.C. State vs. Vanderbilt) at 5 p.m. (ESPN2). On Tuesday The Heart of Dallas Bowl (Wake Forest vs. Temple) is at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN), followed by the Holiday Bowl (Minnesota vs. Washington State) at 7 p.m. (ESPN) and Cactus Bowl (Boise State vs. Baylor) at 10:15 p.m. (ESPN). On Wednesday the Pinstripe Bowl (Northwestern vs. Pittsburgh) is at 2 p.m. (ESPN), followed by the Russell Athletic Bowl (Miam vs. West Virginia) at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN), Foster Farms Bowl (Indiana vs. Utah) at 8:30 p.m. (Fox) and Texas Bowl (Kansas State vs. Texas A&M) at 9 p.m. (ESPN). On Thursday the Birmingham (Ala.) Bowl (South Florida at South Carolina) is at 2 p.m. (ESPN), followed by the Belk Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas) at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) and Alamo Bowl (Oklahoma State vs. Colorado) at 9 p.m. (ESPN). On Friday the Liberty Bowl (Georgia vs. TCU) is at noon (ESPN), followed by the Sun Bowl (North Carolina vs. Stanford) at 2 p.m. (CBS), Music City Bowl (Tennessee vs. Nebraska) at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN), Arizona Bowl (Air Force vs. South Alabama) at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) and Orange Bowl (Florida State vs. Michigan) at 8 p.m. (ESPN). On Saturday the Citris Bowl (LSU vs. Louisville) is at 11 a.m. (ABC), as is the TaxSlayer Bowl (Kentucky vs. Georgia Tech) on ESPN.

▪ The NHL will hold the Centennial Classic, featuring the Detroit Red Wings at the Toronto Maple Leafs, at 3 p.m. Sunday (NBC).

This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Grand Strand viewer’s guide for the sports week ahead (Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2016)."