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College basketball Week 9: 8 best games of the week

By Mike Phillips

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 28: Butler Bulldogs guard Kamar Baldwin (3) drives by Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks guard Josh Nicholas (15) on the baseline during the men's college basketball game between the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks and Butler Bulldogs on December 28, 2019, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 28: Butler Bulldogs guard Kamar Baldwin (3) drives by Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks guard Josh Nicholas (15) on the baseline during the men's college basketball game between the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks and Butler Bulldogs on December 28, 2019, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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QUEENS, NY – DECEMBER 10: St. John’s Red Storm Guard Rasheem Dunn (3) dribbles the ball up the court during the first half of the game between the Brown Bears and the St. John’s Red Storm on December 10, 2019, at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
QUEENS, NY – DECEMBER 10: St. John’s Red Storm Guard Rasheem Dunn (3) dribbles the ball up the court during the first half of the game between the Brown Bears and the St. John’s Red Storm on December 10, 2019, at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Conference play is finally underway as the nation’s best teams start to jockey with their rivals for league supremacy in Week 9.

The New Year is almost here, and it is a figurative new year for college basketball. With non-conference play largely over, the conference slate offers plenty of new opportunities for the nation’s best teams to measure themselves against their bitter rivals.

The schedule has plenty of gems to offer up as well, so let’s dive right into our games of the week with a look at a huge showdown in the Big East.

Butler (12-1) at St. John’s (11-2)-Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1

The Bulldogs have been one of the nation’s biggest surprises, and they will get a stiff test against another rising squad in St. John’s. The Red Storm have exceeded expectations under first-year head coach Mike Anderson, scoring wins over West Virginia and Arizona in non-conference play.

West Virginia (11-1) at Kansas (12-2)-Saturday on ESPN+

Press Virginia is back as the Mountaineers have racked up double-digit victories in the non-conference slate, including an impressive neutral floor win over Ohio State in Cleveland on Sunday. Next up comes a daunting trip to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the Jayhawks, who look like a legitimate Final Four contender.

Creighton (11-2) at Butler (12-1)-Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1

Butler is back on the must-watch list again, but let’s take a look at Creighton this time around. The Bluejays have an explosive offense led by sophomore guard Marcus Zegarowski, who averages 18.5 points per game and knocks down 52 percent of his field goal attempts.

Indiana (11-2) at Maryland (11-2)-Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET on Fox

Its hard to tell whether Indiana is for real after a pretty soft non-conference schedule, but they will get a big step up in competition against Maryland. The Terrapins snapped a two game losing streak by topping Bryant 84-70 in their final non-conference tuneup, so they will look to keep their momentum going in Big Ten play.