11:29 AM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com With just a couple of days left up until Christmas, there are scant couple of opportunities left to use those awful Christmas sweatshirts. In college basketball, two coaches chose Wednesday night was the time to get festive.![]()
1 Related First, coach Rick Barnes led the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers to an 86-44 win over the Austin Peay Governors. Then Barnes, in his 8th season in Knoxville, ditched his sideline athleisure wear for his tattooed “XMas Life”sweater.One Twitter user noticed that it looked a lot like late rap artist Tupac Shakur’s tattoos.Rick Barnes formally won Christmas. pic.twitter.com/FKXoYNs5iz!.?.!— Jim Weber(@JimMWeber) December 22, 2022 Barnes wasn’t alone. In East Lansing, Michigan, Michigan State Spartans coach Tom Izzo bore a striking similarity to Buddy the Fairy, Will Ferrell’s character from”Elf.”Izzo got a technical nasty for arguing a foul call while donning the sweater in the Spartans’67-54 win over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Tom Izzo is probably not asking the ref what his favorite color is. Aaron
J. Thornton/Getty Images The sweatshirt may be a new holiday tradition for Izzo, but it isn’t the first. Each year, he plays vacation songs on his accordion throughout his regional radio program. Nine Last Fours in between the two coaches, however an unlimited amount of holiday spirit.
