College basketball Week 7: 7 best games of the week

With the holidays coming up, enjoy the gift of these seven great college basketball matchups this week.

We are nearing the end of the non-conference portion of the college basketball season, meaning conference play is right around the corner. Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the year, however, there are still some more marquee non-conference matchups to check out for the college hoops enthusiast.

Be sure you set aside some time from your holiday shopping to watch some elite college basketball, including an epic game in Spokane.

North Carolina (6-4) at Gonzaga (11-1) – Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Cole Anthony has been great, but thanks to a knee injury the Tar Heels will have to make do without him when they hit the road for a matchup with red-hot Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have put together a trio of outstanding non-conference victories against ranked Pac-12 programs, including road wins over Washington and Arizona last week.

Maryland (10-1) at Seton Hall (6-4) – Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1

This game features two teams coming off losses, with Big Ten contender Maryland looking to bounce back after a road loss at Penn State. Seton Hall, which has been dealing with injury concerns for most of the year, needs this game more after losing a rematch with Iowa State (understandable) and getting blitzed by Rutgers (awful), although both of those matchups came on the road.

Kansas (9-1) at Villanova (8-2) – Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX

With Louisville’s loss last week, Kansas is the newly minted No. 1, and they get a big road test as they travel to Philadelphia to take on Villanova, one of the Big East’s top dogs. The Wildcats have pretty much taken care of business in the non-conference schedule, but a marquee win over the Jayhawks could help their cause in March.

Crossroads Classic: Purdue (6-4) at Butler (10-1) – Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network

The Boilermakers have played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, and they have another challenge ahead of them with this in-state showdown against Butler. Despite getting picked to finish 8th in the Big East preseason polls, the Bulldogs have impressed with a 10-1 start to the season, including wins over Florida and Minnesota.

CBS Sports Classic: UCLA (7-4) vs. North Carolina (6-4) – Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET on CBS

This made-for-TV showcase in Las Vegas should be very intriguing, starting with this matchup between blue bloods UCLA and North Carolina. This game is of more importance to the Bruins, who don’t have a good win yet and already have a home loss to Hofstra on their resume.

CBS Sports Classic: Ohio State (9-1) vs. Kentucky (8-1) – Saturday at 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS

The night cap of the CBS Sports Classic is the clear Game of the Week as two Final Four contenders square off in Las Vegas. Since Kentucky’s home loss to Evansville, the Wildcats have responded by ripping off six straight wins, with five of them coming by double digits. The red-hot Buckeyes just suffered their first loss of the season on the road at Minnesota over the weekend.

Mid-Major Game of the Week: UNC Greensboro (8-3) at Vermont (7-4) – Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+

This week’s mid-major spotlight takes a look at two potential bracket busters in UNC Greensboro and Vermont. The Spartans feature a stingy defense which allows just 54.9 points per game, the eighth fewest in the country. They will try to slow down Vermont forward Anthony Lamb, who leads the team with 16.6 points per game and pulls down 8.3 rebounds per game for good measure.