College Basketball: Holiday Hoops Preview

The thrills of the non-conference college basketball schedule are coming to an end, as we are less than two weeks away from the grind that is conference play. However, there are still some notable games that will take place before the new year. We’ll see national title contenders take on some of their stiffest competition to date. Plus, a few teams potential bubble teams will have a final opportunity to enhance their tournament profile. There’s even a rivalry game or two worth watching between now and the new year.

It may seem hard to get excited for holiday hoops. Basketball schedules are lighter and noticeably fluffier to accommodate final exams. Duke has only played once since Dec. 3 (a cushy home gig against Elon on Dec. 15). Despite the 0% chance that he is in Durham at this time next year, even Jahlil Okafor has to take finals.

November spoils college basketball fans with a glut of games. Early-season tournaments give fans an opportunity to watch their favorite team play up to four games in a week. However, the quick turnaround times between contests often leads to sloppy outcomes that don’t tell us much about either squad.

Late December is different. School’s out. campus is empty. Players around the country are nearly at the mercy of their coaches until mid-January. While most college students are enjoying a break, basketball teams will be toiling through long practices and intricate fine-tuning before they hit conference play. Holiday hoops is when the real basketball begins. These are the games that will finally show us what we can expect teams to look like in March.