Rivals Roundtable: A festive look at the college basketball landscape
This week’s special edition of the Rivals Roundtable comes on Christmas Day and carries a holiday feel, as Rivals national analysts Rob Cassidy and Jason Jordan get festive and answer three questions at the intersection of hoops and the holidays. Below, the duo discusses the best gifts for college teams, coaches that seem particularly into the holiday spirit and programs that may use the holiday as a pivot point.
*****
More: Four 2024 standouts that are on every coach's holiday wish list
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2026 Rankings: Top 65
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer tracker/player ranking (football) | Transfer team ranking (football) | Transfer tracker/player ranking (basketball) | Transfer team ranking (basketball) | Rivals Portal Twitter
*****
1. IF YOU COULD GET ONE COLLEGE TEAM OR FAN BASE A CHRISTMAS/HANUKKAH PRESENT OF ANY SORT, WHAT WOULD YOU GET THEM?
Cassidy: I’d give Louisville fans a sliver of peace, man. These people deserve a moment of peace or at the very least a safe haven from jokes for a few days this holiday season. When a high-profile team has extended struggles, they become an easy target. Just ask Nebraska football what the last two decades have been like. The situation is made worse by the fact that this patch of disaster comes at the same time that in-state rival Kentucky is playing at an elite level again. In a state where rival fans are often neighbors and co-workers, I’m sure the snark is weighing on these poor souls. If you know a Louisville fan, get them a bottle of booze … or a box of candy … or something for Christmas. They need the treat.
Jordan: OK this might be a weird one, but I’d give James Madison fans patience. In just his fourth year, Mark Byington has the Dukes ranked for the first time in program history, sitting a spot ahead of Duke at No. 20. James Madison also leads the country in scoring, averaging 92.9 points a game. All reasons to be on top of the world as a Dukes fan, right? But fans are all about instant gratification and they may not understand why their Sun Belt wins aren’t moving the needle nationally. Just breathe and enjoy the moment. The Dukes have all the makings of a March darling, who could get to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. Patience is truly a virtue.
*****
2. WHICH COLLEGE COACH DO YOU THINK GOES HARDEST WHEN IT COMES TO HANGING CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS?
Cassidy: I’m not sure I can explain this and I’m less certain that I need to because I feel like it’s obvious, but Kansas State’s Jerome Tang seems like an incredibly festive dude. I feel like giant inflatables and a healthy dose of string lights jibes with his fun-loving personality in a number of ways. I might have to enlist somebody in Manhattan to drive by his place and report back because I’ve never been so sure anyone does big on Christmas in my life.
Jordan: I like this one, and I’ve actually given this one some thought. It’s Arkansas coach Eric Musselman. The reality is that everything about Muss is extra, in a good way. That’s not a knock, but this is where his extra-ness, for lack of a better term, should shine. I’m seeing National Lampoon’s-type, win the neighborhood lighting contest greatness at the Musselman home. I’m confident that I’m right too.
*****
3. WHICH PROGRAM THAT HAS STRUGGLED TO START THE YEAR ARE YOU MOST CERTAIN WILL FIGURE IT OUT AFTER THE HOLIDAY BREAK?
Cassidy: Villanova is showing serious signs of life after some head-scratching losses in the early season, so it’s not exactly going out on a limb to predict the Wildcats will even out post-Christmas. This week’s road victory over Creighton is a nice building block going forward and a good sign for how this team will handle Big East play. There was a time not long ago where the groans among the fan base were getting pretty loud. A few later, however, this ‘Nova squad feels like a no-doubt NCAA tournament team that hasn’t yet played its best basketball.
Jordan: I think NC State has a chance to be really good now that they’re at full strength. They dropped one to Tennessee, which they absolutely could’ve won. The Wolfpack hasn’t been able to secure that coveted Quad 1 win yet, but they’ll have chances in the league and if Kevin Keatts figures out how to implement MJ Rice into the offense and tweak some defensive issues, the Pack could be running strong in 2024.