The Spire

Jake Ruderman ’26

Sports Editor

With finals week approaching and the semester winding down, let’s take a look at some of the major sporting events that will happen while everyone’s home for the holidays.

Basketball:

• It’s been an up and down season for the Holy Cross Men’s Basketball team, who seemed promising out of the gate, but have cooled down as of late. Since their win at Georgetown, the team has gone a tough 1-6, with more challenging games coming ahead. Despite all that, Holy Cross doesn’t start Patriot League play until January 3rd, so look for them to really kick it into gear as we come out of the new year. 
• While the Women’s Basketball team has looked better than the Men’s, they haven’t played their sharpest basketball yet either. With the team currently sitting at a 3-4 record at press time, they’ll also be looking towards the start of Patriot League play for the games that’ll decide their season. Coming off the heels of a Patriot League Championship, Holy Cross will look to challenge for the top spot again in the new year.
• In terms of professional basketball, the most important thing to watch for has been the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. In its inaugural season, the tournament has been met with mixed fan reviews, but has undoubtedly provided more meaning to otherwise unimportant November and December games. With group-stage play over, the tournament officially kicked off this past week, and will be culminating in the championship this Saturday, December 9. While fans may disagree on its importance, the tournament has been a ton of fun regardless and will provide fans the chance to see ultra-competitive, single-elimination basketball for the first time in the NBA. Aside from the tournament, business as usual will continue in the NBA, with a fantastic slate of Christmas Day games, and trade buzz starting to pick up very soon. When we return from break, the February 8 trade deadline will be just around the corner, which we’ll break down more then.

Hockey:

• The Holy Cross Men’s Ice Hockey team has had a solid start to the year, currently sitting at 8-7-2. But despite their winning record, they’ve struggled against their conference opponents. Much like the basketball teams, the hockey team will resume Atlantic Conference play right after the new year, with a big 2-game set against AIC, who currently sits above Holy Cross in the standings. If Holy Cross can gain some ground in their league play, they’ll have a shot at another underdog playoff run, much like last year.
• As for the Women’s Ice Hockey team, this season has been a challenge. The team currently sits at 5-10-2, and has particularly struggled against the rest of the Hockey East Conference, to the tune of a 2-7-2 record –  good enough for last place in the conference. But, with plenty of games left on the schedule, there’s still time to turn things around and enter the second half of the season on a positive note.
• As for professional hockey, the NHL season is in full swing, with the Bruins and Rangers holding strong as the league’s top two teams. While it’s much too early to look ahead to the playoffs, these two teams, along with the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, have come out of the gates strong, and are looking to cement themselves as the heads of their divisions. The Bruins next face off against the Rangers on Saturday, December 16, in a potential revenge game, after the Rangers beat them 7-4 a few weeks ago. Look for these teams to keep battling it out and racking up wins over the winter, knowing they may very well face each other come playoff time in the spring.

Baseball:

• The MLB Offseason is in full swing, with Winter Meetings currently happening in Nashville, Tennessee. Now that every team has filled its manager and front office vacancies, it’s time to pivot towards offseason signings and trades, with the aim of restructuring teams before Spring Training. The Winter Meetings are a time most used for teams to meet with prospective free agents and opposing teams’ front offices; with everyone in the same place at the same time, it’s far easier to negotiate signings, contracts, trades, etc. So far, free agency has been incredibly quiet, save for the bizarre handful of obscure Mets signings and Aaron Nola’s contract extension. All the top free agents remain on the board, including both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese free-agent phenoms. Over the next few days and weeks, players will start signing deals, and teams will continue to discuss trade talks. This stretch is one of the most fun times of the year for baseball fans, with rumors swirling around your favorite players and teams. Once the dust settles around mid-January, the race officially starts for the World Series, yet again. But for now, we sit back, relax, and enjoy the flurry of offseason moves.

Football:

• Finally, the NFL season is entering its final stages before its ascent into playoff time. In many areas of the country, this is one of the most exciting times of the season – the stretch to determine whether your team officially has what it takes to outlast the competition and secure a playoff spot. But here in New England, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The Patriots, once a dynastic juggernaut, have been reduced to an abysmal 2-10 record, good for second worst in the entire league. This Pats team is an all-time offensively incompetent, now having held their opponent to 10 points or fewer in three straight weeks… and still managing to lose all three games. For New England fans, the next few weeks will be spent watching the College Football Playoffs, in hopes of figuring out the right player to draft in the offseason. For the fans of playoff hopefuls, this stretch separates the contenders from the pretenders. May the best teams come out on top!

Featured Image: Women’s Basketball Action Shot Courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics