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College Basketball Watchability Rankings: 5 games to watch in Week 6

By Nathaniel Reeves

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 06: Luke Maye
CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 06: Luke Maye /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – DECEMBER 01: Isaac Haas #44 of the Purdue Boilermakers celebrates a win after a college basketball game against the Maryland Terrapins at the Xfinity Center on December 1, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. The Boilermakers won 80-75. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD – DECEMBER 01: Isaac Haas #44 of the Purdue Boilermakers celebrates a win after a college basketball game against the Maryland Terrapins at the Xfinity Center on December 1, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. The Boilermakers won 80-75. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Purdue vs. Butler, Saturday 12:00 p.m. Eastern 

The annual Crossroads Classic always provides for a fun environment, with the showdown between Purdue and Butler standing out as the better of the two games on Saturday.

Purdue has shaken off a rough showing in the Battle 4 Atlantis with six straight wins to move to 10-2 overall on the season. The Boilermakers came from behind to top Louisville in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for their best win of the year two weeks ago, and have since earned solid victories over Maryland and Valparaiso to move back into the top 25.

With a pair of skilled seven-footers in Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms plus forward Vince Edwards averaging 13.2 points per game, the Boilermakers can be a lot to handle on the interior for anyone. Sharpshooter Dakota Mathias is also chipping in 13.8 points per game while making nearly 50 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Butler expected to be in for a bit of a down year after head coach Chris Holtmann left for Ohio State, but is enjoying a solid 8-2 start in the first year of the LaVall Jordan era. The Bulldogs don’t have a signature win quite yet, but victories over Ohio State and Utah are enough to keep them in the projected NCAA Tournament field for now.

Senior Kelan Martin is continuing his terrific career with 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game to lead the Bulldogs in both categories. Sophomore point guard Kamar Baldwin is also doing a nice job of directing the offense, although the Bulldogs are still looking for more scoring beyond their top two.

This will be Butler’s best chance for a marquee win yet, while the Boilermakers can continue to add to a strong resume before Big Ten play gets going in earnest.