The Crossroads Classic is on Saturday, Dec. 15, as four Indiana college basketball schools play in Indianapolis. Find the game times and TV schedule below, as well as a preview of the event.
This year, No. 25 Indiana plays Butler, while Purdue plays Notre Dame in the event. It's the eighth year of the Classic. Last year, Purdue beat Butler and Indiana beat Notre Dame in overtime.
MORE: College basketball game times, TV schedule
In the event, Notre Dame meets Purdue and Butler plays Indiana in even-numbered years. In odd-numbered years, the Irish play Indiana and Butler meets Purdue.
Crossroads Classic: Times, TV schedule
The teams are set to play at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the 2018 edition of the Classic. Both games are on CBS.
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame 88, Purdue 80 | 1:30 p.m. | CBS |
| No. 25 Indiana 71, Butler 68 | 3:45 p.m. | CBS |
Crossroads Classic: Preview
Indiana comes in as the only ranked team of the four, with the Hoosiers tied for No. 25 in the AP Poll with Syracuse and Kansas State. They're set to play Butler, which has the best record in the event at 5-2.
MORE: Andy Katz's projected March Madness field
| Team | Crossroads classic Record |
|---|---|
| Butler | 5-2 |
| Indiana | 4-3 |
| Notre Dame | 3-4 |
| Purdue | 2-5 |
Indiana (8-2) and Butler (7-2) each arrive in Indianapolis coming off wins. The Hoosiers beat Louisville, 68-67, while Butler beat Northern Illinois, 95-68. Indiana boasts a current three-game win streak, but has made it a habit of falling behind before rallying in each matchup:
- Trailed Northwestern by 3 with 3:30 remaining — won 68-66
- Trailed Penn State 9-0 — won 64-62
- Trailed Louisville by 7 with 17:10 to go — won 68-67
.@TheAndyKatz previews a jam-packed, Saturday slate of college hoops! 🏀
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) December 14, 2018
Who else is ready for tomorrow? 👀🍿 pic.twitter.com/rEut2WMOQf
Indiana is led by Romeo Langford, who averages 18.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Since struggling against Duke, Langford has scored 20, 17 and 21 points while shooting 20-for-37 from the field. As for Butler, Paul Jorgensen scores 17.2 points per game and has 28 made 3-pointers on the season. In last season's upset win against No. 1 Villanova, he scored 23 points.
Both teams are led by second-year coaches: Archie Miller at Indiana and LaVall Jordan for Butler.
In the first game of the day — Notre Dame vs. Purdue — the Irish (6-3) hold a slight 22-21 series edge against the Boilermakers (6-4). The two programs first met in 1916, but all of Notre Dame's 22 wins have come in the past 34 games against Purdue.
This year, the Irish are paced by John Mooney, who leads the ACC in rebounding at 9.7 per game. He's almost averaging a double-double with his 11.6 points per game.
The Boilermakers are looking for their third-straight Crossroads Classic win. Most attention this season is on Carsen Edwards. The junior is sixth in the country in scoring at 25.5 points per game and is seventh in made 3-pointers with 39.
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