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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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KNOXVILLE, TN – JANUARY 24: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 82-80. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – JANUARY 24: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 82-80. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

North Carolina at Tennessee, Sunday 3:00 p.m. Eastern 

Tennessee has been one of the biggest surprises in college basketball so far, and will now have a chance to grab a signature win on Sunday over the defending national champions in front of a hyped crowd at Thompson-Boiling Arena.

The Volunteers are ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 2011 with a record of 7-1 so far. Rick Barnes has steadily been moving the program in the right direction since taking over ahead of the 2015-16 season, and the Volunteers now look like an SEC contender with wins over Purdue and NC State plus a competitive loss to VIllanova highlighting their early resume.

Tennessee should be very optimistic for the future, as many of the Volunteers’ best players this season are still young. Sophomore Grant Williams is stuffing the stat sheet with a team-high 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, with fellow underclassmen Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner also in double figures.

While North Carolina lost a few key pieces from the team that cut down the nets last April, Roy Williams is always going to have the Tar Heels in ACC title contention. The Tar Heels are off to a 9-1 start with the lone loss coming to Michigan State,  and have thumped a couple of quality teams in Arkansas and Michigan in the early going.

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Former walk-on Luke Maye has improbably developed into a star with 19.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest this year. With guard Joel Berry also back, the Tar Heels have the pieces to challenge just about anyone in the nation once again.

Both teams will have an opportunity to pick up their respective best wins of the year on Saturday, and a victory for the Volunteers could really prove their early record is no fluke.