US Figure Skating Championships TV Schedule 2018: Friday Preview, Predictions

Ashley Wagner's Olympic dream is on the verge of collapsing.

The 2014 Olympian enters the senior ladies free skate on Friday night at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at a disadvantage compared to the other contenders for the three Olympic positions. 

Wagner skated to a disappointing fifth place in Wednesday's short program, and she'll need one of the best skates of her life to erase any doubt from her Olympic resume. 

Before the ladies take to the ice at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, the dance pairs have their first chance to impress the judges during their short program. 

Friday Schedule 

Senior Dance Short Program (4:10 p.m. ET, NBCSN) 

Senior Ladies Free Skate (6:45 p.m. ET, TV coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET on NBC) 

Wagner's Olympic Berth at Risk 

The 26-year-old Wagner might be the most recognizable name of the group in the senior ladies competition, but she won't be on the plane to Pyeongchang, South Korea, if she skates like she did on Wednesday. 

Wagner won't be officially eliminated from Olympic contention if she remains in fifth place since the Olympians are chosen by a committee that takes individuals' entire resume into account. Wagner benefited from this process in 2014 after placing fourth at nationals. 

The selection process will come under the microscope as Friday progresses, especially if there are more deserving skaters than Wagner. 

While Wagner disappointed on Wednesday night, 19-year-old Bradie Tennell wowed everyone in attendance with her short program that earned a competition-record score of 73.79. 

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Tennell, who could be poised to be one of the breakout stars at the Olympics for the United States, takes a slender lead into Friday's free skate over 2010 Olympian Mirai Nagasu. 

Nagasu is seven-tenths of a point behind Tennell, and she could be able to bank off her wealth of experience to put herself in position to qualify for the Olympic team.

Beneath Tennell and Nagasu in third place is Karen Chen, who is the defending U.S. champion. Chen, who earned a score of 69.48 from her short program, could be the direct challenger to Wagner if Tennell and Nagasu replicate their skates from two nights prior. 

Angela Wang, Mariah Bell and Polina Edmunds have a chance to upset the quartet of favorites, but they'll all need to produce the performances of their lives to catch the eyes of the committee members. 

Prediction: 1. Tennell, 2. Nagasu, 3. Chen

Shibutanis Enter Senior Dance as Favorites

Social media darlings Alex and Maia Shibutani will be at the forefront of the senior dance competition over two of the next three days. 

The Shibutanis, who are likely to be all over the U.S. Olympic team social media feeds in Pyeongchang, are vying for their third consecutive domestic title. They've also made waves on the international stage with silver and bronze medals at the last two World Championships.

Koji Sasahara/Associated Press

Madison Chock and Evan Bates are the main competition for the Shibutani siblings. The pair qualified for the Sochi Olympics, but placed eighth. 

Chock and Bates are expected to come in first or second when the competition concludes on Sunday in the free skate, but in order to reclaim the U.S. championship, they'll have to put together one of their best routines of the season. 

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue have consistently placed third behind the Shibutanis and Chock and Bates, and they're coming into San Jose as third-best pair on the American depth chart.

While a third-place finish might not be ideal in the eyes of Hubbell and Donohue, a bronze medal at nationals would put them one step closer to South Korea. 

Prediction: 1. Shibutani/Shibutani, 2. Chock/Bates, 3. Hubbell/Donohue

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

Statistics obtained from U.S. Figure Skating.