Best College Basketball Games of Week 6

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Julian Reese and Maryland headline this week's best college basketaball games to watch.
(Credit: Erin Tudryn/Maryland Terrapins)

Another week and another slate of college basketball games are coming your way. It’s still that mysterious time between Feast Week and conference play where there are some good games sprinkled in between a lot of cupcake games for the Power 5 schools. Don’t fret, there are still some college basketball games worth watching!

Week 6 College Basketball Games

  • Maryland vs Tennessee: Dec. 11, 4:30 PM ET
  • Arizona State vs Creighton: Dec. 12, 9:00 PM ET
  • UCLA vs Maryland: Dec. 14, 9:00 PM ET
  • Indiana vs Kansas: Dec. 17, 12:00 PM ET
  • Alabama vs Gonzaga: Dec. 17, 1:00 PM ET
  • Houston vs Virginia: Dec. 17, 2:00 PM ET
  • UCLA vs Kentucky: Dec. 17, 5:15 PM ET

How To Watch These College Basketball Games

Maryland vs. Tennessee

  • When: Sunday, December 11, 2022
  • Start Time: 4:30 PM ET
  • Location: Barclays Center – Brooklyn, New York
  • How to watch: FS1

Maryland vs Tennessee Preview

Both these teams have gotten off to an impressive start to the season. Maryland has won some big games under first-year coach Kevin Willard. Tennessee would be undefeated if it weren’t for a minor slip-up against Colorado too. These two teams meeting in Brooklyn for a neutral site game should be fun and a raucous crowd at Barclays is going to be superb.

This game is likely to come down to the depth charts for both teams. Tennessee runs about nine guys deep while Maryland runs about eight deep. However, if big man Julian Reese gets in foul trouble — as he has been lately — the Terrapins could find themselves struggling. Especially against such a stingy defense like Tennessee’s, which is only giving up about 51 points per game (good for third in the country).

Arizona State vs. Creighton

  • When: Monday, December 12, 2022
  • Start Time: 9:00 PM ET
  • Location: Michelob ULTRA Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada
  • How to watch: FS1

Arizona State vs Creighton Preview

The Sun Devils have been flying under the radar thanks to some cupcake games, but have beaten the likes of Michigan, Stanford, and Colorado already this season. This will be another great test outside of the conference for them as Creighton has seen itself tested quite a bit against Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, and Texas Tech already.

Look for Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman to try to get back on track with his shooting, but center Ryan Kaklbrenner could be the difference maker in this game as he faces off ASU center Warren Washington. Both teams are well-balanced on the scoring sheet, but the Sun Devils allow less than 60 points per game while the Bluejays are allowing over 65 per game.

UCLA vs. Maryland

  • When: Wednesday, December 14, 2022
  • Start Time: 9:00 PM ET
  • Location: XFINITY Center – College Park, Maryland
  • How to watch: FS1

UCLA vs Maryland Preview

Maryland is so nice, they’ve made it onto our list twice! They welcome the Bruins into their home as part of a grueling out-of-conference schedule. This game will be one of major experience (UCLA) against a lot of youth (Maryland). The home crowd of the XFINITY Center, however, could turn this contest in favor of the Terps.

Both teams would like this game to get into the high 70s or 80s as they both average 78 points per game or higher. The backcourt matchups should be fun as Tyger Campbell and Jahmir Young are on the smaller side and will likely guard each other. Julian Reese will have to contend with freshman big Adem Bona. Still, UCLA having generally small lineups could favor Maryland as they are small outside of Reese as well.

Indiana vs. Kansas

  • When: Saturday, December 17, 2022
  • Start Time: 12:00 PM ET
  • Location: Allen Fieldhouse – Lawrence, Kansas
  • How to watch: ESPN2

Indiana vs Kansas Preview

Indiana is looking like a pretty good team and a true Big Ten contender. IU has claimed wins over North Carolina and Xavier so far. However, the Hoosiers took an inexplicable loss to Rutgers recently. They beat Nebraska to get back in the win column and hope to go into Allen Fieldhouse and make it a streak.

The Jayhawks have only lost to Tennessee in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game. Otherwise, they’ve beaten the likes of Duke, NC State, and Wisconsin. They have the home-court advantage in this one and they have the likely Big 12 Player of the Year in Jalen Wilson who has been playing quite well. Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis will be a handful for the Kansas forwards, but he will likely draw the defensive assignment from KJ Adams on the KU side.

Alabama vs. Gonzaga

  • When: Saturday, December 17, 2022
  • Start Time: 1:00 PM ET
  • Location: Legacy Arena at BJCC – Birmingham, Alabama
  • How to watch: CBS

Alabama vs Gonzaga Preview

This game is likely going to be decided by the play of Drew Timme for Gonzaga and Brandon Miller for Alabama. Miller is likely to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft, while Timme is on watchlists as National Player of the Year. Both teams have at least one common opponent in Michigan. Gonzaga scraped by with a one-point win while Alabama won by 11 points.

Gonzaga has been inconsistent to start this season and much of that can be attributed to guard play. If the Crimson Tide guards can make things difficult for Rasir Bolton and Nolan Hickman, they have a great chance of winning the C.M. Newton Classic.

Houston vs. Virginia

  • When: Saturday, December 17, 2022
  • Start Time: 2:00 PM ET
  • Location: John Paul Jones Arena – Charlottesville, Virginia
  • How to watch: ESPN2

Houston vs Virginia Preview

This is a top-five matchup that we may not see the likes of until the NCAA Tournament. Both teams are known for their stifling defenses. Top-ranked Houston is giving up less than 50 points per game while the Cavaliers are giving up about 58 points a game. However, Houston has not seen competition as good as UVA yet this season. With this game being played in Charlottesville, it could be the perfect recipe for a toppling of the top team in the country.

There are matchups all over these rosters that should be intriguing. For Houston, how the Cougars match up with Virginia’s 6-foot-11 Kadin Shadrick could decide this game as Houston doesn’t have anyone on the roster taller than 6-foot-8. However, Houston has a superb backcourt in Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark. Virginia has the undersized Kihei Clark, but will that be enough to get some scoring going against the stingiest team in the country?

UCLA vs. Kentucky

  • When: Saturday, December 17, 2022
  • Start Time: 5:15 PM ET
  • Location: Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
  • How to watch: ESPN2

UCLA vs Kentucky Preview

Now it’s UCLA’s turn to make the list for the second time as the Bruins head to Madison Square Garden for the CBS Sports Classic to face Kentucky. The Bruins have beaten everyone they were supposed to so far this season, but have lost to their only strong competition in Illinois and Baylor. The Wildcats represent their next best shot at a big win.

Kentucky really only has the one good win against Michigan in London and so this represents the Wildcats’ best chance at a resume-building win as well. The X-Factor for Kentucky will be Oscar Tshiebwe and if UCLA can handle or contain him on the boards. This will also show us if Kentucky’s backcourt can play at a high level consistently as it has looked rough at times this season.

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