NBC Olympic 2012 Schedule: Look Ahead to Week 1's Most Intriguing Events

The networks of NBC Universal have London covered from dawn to late night with original coverage by the ton for the XXX Summer Olympics. NBC is using three channels to cover the Olympics on a general level, two channels on basic cable for specific sports and two more high-definition-only channels for basketball and soccer.

All in all, the sheer tonnage of what NBC is offering up is stunning. While the marquee events will be held for tape delay in primetime, the five-hour time difference between New York and London will allow a good deal of the events to be seen live in the afternoon here in the United States.

It may seem like a chore to follow just everything you might want to watch, but do not worry: That is what Bleacher Report is here for.

There are, of course, many interesting storylines going into any Olympics, but some of the best stories are not those that were thought of when NBC planned which events to show where. NBC’s job over the next two weeks is to try and adjust on the fly to the unforeseen, and if the first day’s action is any indication, the networks will try their best to adapt.

While some events and their importance are self-explanatory, there are others that have added intrigue and interest.

Here are a few of these events that have an extra bubbling-under interest that NBC and the athletes want you to pay attention to this week.

Remember that while NBC tries their best to have a set schedule of things to cover, all schedules are subject to change.

Synchronized Diving

For whatever reason, NBC has held all four days of this for primetime.

The three-meter diving is Sunday and Monday, while the 10-meter finals are Tuesday and Wednesday.

Kelci Bryant and Abigail Johnston are the American team in the women’s three-meter Sunday, one of eight pairs competing.

Canadians Meaghan Befeito and Roseline Filion will be reaching for gold in the 10-meter Tuesday.

Troy Dumais and Kristian Ipsen have high hopes for a medal for the United States in the three-meter men’s on Wednesday.

David Boudia and Nicholas McCrory will lead the charge for the U.S. in the 10-meter dives on Monday

Women's Volleyball: USA vs. Brazil

Most times in any group play of a tournament, you do not normally see the two best teams be put in the same group, but the USA and Brazil are paired together. They play at lunchtime Monday.

Team USA opened with a four-set win over a South Korean team that looked stronger as the game went on, while Brazil was taken to a full five sets by Turkey on Saturday.

Destinee Hooker had 21 points to lead Team USA’s efforts, while Sheilla Castro was one of five Brazil players to score double-digits. Castro led Brazil with 19 points.

NBC is planning live coverage at 11:45 a.m. Eastern on Monday. Those on the West Coast or at work can watch it live online at nbcolympics.com

Women's Soccer: Team USA

What should have been a solid ho-hum affair this week in soccer got a whole lot more interesting Saturday after American goalkeeper Hope Solo just ripped NBC analyst and fellow Olympic gold medalist Brandi Chastain to shreds on Twitter following Chastain’s sharp criticism of Team USA’s defensive effort.

Chastain, a great defender in her own right and best known for her emotional display following hitting the decisive penalty kick to win the 1999 World Cup, was pretty blunt after Team USA allowed two quick goals to France in their opener last Wednesday.

It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how Chastain and NBC respond when Team USA takes the pitch next on Tuesday against North Korea.

Currently, NBC Sports Network will carry the USA-North Korea game live at 12:15 p.m. ET and will carry Friday’s quarterfinal whenever it is scheduled, but if Solo keeps the knives sharpened, then Friday’s game could be pushed to NBC for a daytime airing.

Swimming: Michael Phelps

While the most decorated American Olympian has qualified for seven events this year in London, Phelps barely qualified Saturday for the finals of the 400-meter individual medley and finished fourth in the final. His finish marked the first time since 2000 that Phelps failed to medal in a race.

Now with six more events on tap, and after being heavily criticized by his own teammates coming into the Games, can Phelps regroup and dominate this year like he did in both Athens and Beijing before?

NBC Sports Network has already changed their schedule for Sunday morning to show Phelps' heat live. Expect NBC to continue to do that throughout the rest of his heats.

While NBC was already holding all the swimming finals for primetime, Phelps' struggles could easily become the big story of the first week. Phelps will be in the pool every day but has finals on Sunday, two on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Women's Gymnastics

Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross may not be household names and faces for most of us right now, but neither was Mary Lou Retton or Shawn Johnson before they found Olympic gold either.

Like any good miniseries, the American Women’s Gymnastics Team get three nights of primetime exposure to tell the world their story in the premier glamour event of the Olympics opening week.

Sunday features the first part of the team competition, while the finals will be shown on Tuesday night.

Thursday features the all-around finals where the true star of the show, regardless of what country they are from, will be revealed for all the world to see.

Will we see a Kerri Strug-like effort, being injured and nailing the vault? Will we see a perfect score like we did back in 1976 with Nadia Comaneci?

Milked for all it is worth in primetime by NBC, it really will be must-see television even with the tape delay.