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College Basketball: 5 best games for Week 10

By Nathaniel Reeves

Dec 29, 2016; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nigel Williams-Goss (5) inbounds the ball against the Pepperdine Waves during the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs won 92-62. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2016; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nigel Williams-Goss (5) inbounds the ball against the Pepperdine Waves during the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs won 92-62. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /
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Baylor and Gonzaga will both face tough tests to highlight the college basketball slate around the nation in Week 10.

With conference play in full swing, Week 9 of college basketball provided a number of thrilling games across the country.

The list of undefeated teams remaining in Division I was whittled down to two after Villanova lost to Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The Big 12 featured plenty of excitement as well, with Kansas beating rival Kansas State on Tuesday on a controversial no-call and Texas Tech stunning West Virginia in overtime.

Week 10 promises more of the same with several intriguing games on the schedule. Baylor and Gonzaga will both put their undefeated records on the line with their toughest respective games of the season so far, while top teams in the Big East and ACC will also clash.

These five games stand out as the top matchups of a loaded Week 10 in college basketball.

5. Butler at Creighton, Wednesday 9:00 p.m. ET

Fresh off their huge upset of Villanova, the Bulldogs will try to keep pace at the top of the Big East standings with another marquee victory against Creighton.

Butler improved to 14-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big East with wins over the Wildcats and Georgetown this week. Chris Holtmann’s team looks capable of winning a conference title and more, as it owns four ranked victories already behind a deep rotation led by star guard Kelan Martin.

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Creighton is tied with Butler for second place in the Big East at 3-1 and is in the running for a top three seed at 15-1 overall. The Bluejays’ undefeated run came to an end on New Year’s Eve, but they recovered with a pair of road wins against Providence and St. John’s this week. Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster has been the biggest factor in Creighton’s terrific season by averaging 18.6 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting from the field.

Both teams feature outstanding offenses, so Wednesday’s result will depend on which defense can string together a few stops. The Bluejays have been the slightly more efficient team at 1.168 points per possession to rank ninth in the country, but Butler can also fill it up when players like Andrew Chrabascz and Nate Folwer are on.

While the Bulldogs have been better defensively and own a better overall resume, Creighton proved it can play with anybody in the nation in the hard-fought loss against Villanova, and will have the benefit of playing in front of an energized crowd at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Ultimately, the combination of Creighton’s outside shooting ability with the presence of Justin Patton down low will put too much pressure on the Bulldogs’ defense.