On the week before Christmas, one of the legendary characters in college basketball (and the former national championship-winning coach he was facing) donned a sweater with the Grinch's face for the entirety of a game between Oakland and Michigan State. And what Greg Kampe and Tom Izzo reminded us is that this is the only sport that's not scared of being silly, the only sport where such an action would ever occur.
We're now coming to the close of non-conference play, and every team's season can already start to be summarized, so why not play into the holiday spirit and do so while remembering our favorite Christmas movies? Most of you are already done with this introduction so I'll get down to business.
North Carolina: "Hallelujah! Holy sh**! Where's the Tylenol?" - Clark Griswold, Christmas Vacation
There were plenty of angrier quotes from Clark's legendary rant that fit how the UNC fanbase felt before Saturday's comeback victory over UCLA. The frustration started with the offseason failure to get a top transfer center and kept building as loss after loss pushed the Tar Heels toward the bubble. But now, a second top twenty-five win means everyone can begin to find cheer amidst the angst.
St. Bonaventure: "First I travelled through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest, past the Sea of Twirly Swirly Gumdrops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel." -Buddy The Elf, Elf
St. Bonaventure's remote upstate New York location feels a lot closer to the sixth or seventh layer of the Candy Cane Forest than the Lincoln Tunnel across the state. And with a 12-1 start to the season (despite just one returning rotation player) and the #WojEffect building towards it's grand introduction to the recruiting scene next offseason, the Bonnies' fans must feel like they are in a place as cheery as the Sea of Twirly Swirly Gumdrops.
Stanford: "Santy Claus, why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?" - Cindy Lou Who, How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Kyle Smith's first season is exceeding low expectations, largely thanks to the excellent trio of Maxime Raynaud, Oziyah Sellers and Jaylen Blakes. But the roster has a few glaring holes, none bigger than the need for a big scoring forward. It has to hurt seeing Andrej Stojakovic become a star at rival Cal, after the Golden Bears swooped and in stole the prized transfer from his former home with the big tree mascot.
Dayton: "How could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags." - The Grinch, How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Dayton lost an All-American, the nation's leading three-point shooter and another starter from an NCAA Tournament seven seed, yet the Flyers walk out of non-conference play ranked higher than they were at this point last season. This is all possible thanks to Anthony Grant's player development skills and the Dayton resources enabling a quick reload, after all of their best players were taken away.
Virginia: "It's a difficult responsibility. That he extracts from the number one law keeper, me." - Grimsley, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
The Burgermeister Meisterburger makes his wide sweeping decrees (like making all toys illegal), leaving Grimsley to deal with the mess himself. Like Tony Bennett leaving behind what he clearly saw was a subpar roster for Ron Sanchez to be burdened by in his lone audition season for the permanent head coaching job. With almost no off-season to prepare for this daunting task, Sanchez might have had an easier task battling the desire for children to be happy.
UConn: "I'm mister heat blister. I'm mister hundred and one." - Heat Miser, The Year Without A Santa Claus
Oh my god a ref FINALLY stood up to Dan Hurley and gave him a tech pic.twitter.com/aCL1RD4Ana
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) November 25, 2024