Dec. 23
It's time for "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells," baby! Santa, can you pass on some goodies for me, please...

Santa, please tell the administrators at Syracuse to rename the floor at the Carrier Dome for Jim Boeheim.

For all the hoopaholics out there, Santa, please deliver a few matchups to tip off the season by creating excitement in certain regions. Let Georgetown and Maryland hook up annually. What about Cincinnati and Ohio State, Santa? Let Huggy Bear and Jim O'Brien make that a reality. How about DePaul and Illinois, which is natural -- it would be rocking time in Chicago! Throw in a Notre Dame-Purdue game, with Mike Brey and Gene Keady hooking up. These matchups would bring a lot of spirit to these college campuses.

Santa, don't let them do away with the exemptions that exist for the Maui Invitational, Great Alaska Shootout, IKON Coaches vs. Cancer, Preseason NIT, etc. These games are really fantastic, great for tipping off the season with great hoopla. It also gives the little guy, like a Ball State and Butler, a chance to compete with the big boys. It eliminates some of the cupcakes early.

Hey Santa, can we make the Big Ten have Michigan vs. Michigan State as an annual round-robin game? The same for Indiana vs. Purdue -- it must be played twice a year. There have to be exceptions to the scheduling rule, just like in football. Imagine if the ACC ever did that -- if Duke and North Carolina didn't play twice! Wow!

Let's get scheduling conflicts taken care of. How about the Big East? Santa, give us back St. John's-Syracuse and Connecticut-Syracuse. I can't believe we don't have the Huskies and Orangemen making noise in the Carrier Dome or Gampel Pavilion this season.

Speaking of the Orangemen, Santa, here's hoping for a happy and healthy future for Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, recovering from his recent prostate surgery. While you're at it, Santa, please tell the administrators at Syracuse to rename the floor at the Carrier Dome for Boeheim. He has done so much for the program there. Kentucky is renaming the court at Rupp Arena after Cawood Ledford before the Louisville game. I want to see Jim Boeheim Center Court.

Santa, please do me a favor. Once in my lifetime, I want to see Robert Montgomery Knight stroll into Texas Tech's United Spirit Arena with a beautiful, black Texas Tech blazer, white shirt, red tie, gray slacks, dressed to the nines. Let him be an Armani special for one night, a la Rick Pitino. I would love to see the General dressed in an Armani special!

Oh Santa, please bring Hall of Fame induction honors to Lute Olson. He has been magical for many years at Long Beach State, Iowa and Arizona. It's time for him to reap the rewards of being enshrined.

How about a salute to my networks, ABC and ESPN, Santa? What a Christmas present, NBA basketball! I want to salute George Bodenheimer, Howard Katz, Mark Shapiro, Steve Anderson and all the execs for bringing the NBA here. Our production people will do a fantastic job. The NBA features the greatest athletes in the world, pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch; no other sport offers the kind of athletic ability that NBA superstars offer.

Santa, let Jason Parker of Kentucky get healthy so he can return in great shape for next season. Let Western Kentucky's Chris Marcus come back to the lineup soon. The same can be said for Lucas Johnson of Illinois. I want to see him on the court soon; he can provide the mental tenacity that Illinois needs.

Santa, please bring good health to my buddy Fred Barakat of the ACC, who does a great job as an administrator.

Santa, let us have more surprises around tournament time. I love seeing the Butlers and Gonzagas making noise out there. Let this be the year the Mid-American Conference gets some serious publicity for its outstanding hoops competition. That league has so much balance.

I know it isn't my sport, Santa, but let there be a a college football playoff utilizing the bowls. Let all the good people who have so much love for collegiate athletics -- like Jim Delany of the Big Ten, John Swofford of the ACC, Mike Tranghese of the Big East, Kevin Weiberg of the Big 12, Thom Hansen of the Pac-10 and Roy Kramer of the SEC -- get this done. Let's get an ultimate national championship, determined on the field.

I'll close, Santa, by saying give all the hoopaholics out there health and happiness and may there be peace and love among all.