Christmas Week is generally reserved for the Diamond Head Classic, the occasional Louisville-Kentucky game … and that’s about it. That’s not quite the case this year. The Big Ten has games on Christmas Day and the day after Christmas, and it’s joined on Dec. 26 by two intriguing nonconference games in Gonzaga vs. Virginia and the aforementioned Kentucky at Louisville matchup.
Not everyone is happy about traveling or playing games on or around Christmas — and Michigan’s Isaiah Livers has publicly spoken about it — but leagues and teams are trying to jam as many games as they can into the shortened season, and having a full week or two off for the holidays just isn’t in the cards. Could it be, though? Duke canceled its remaining nonconference games so its players could spend some time with family for the holidays, while Villanova postponed its game against St. John’s for the same reason. VCU coach Mike Rhoades has said that a 21-day sport-wide pause from Dec. 22 or Dec. 23 until mid-January would be beneficial.
But we forge ahead anyway — and for the college basketball fan home all week, there will be plenty to watch.