The most festive location on Earth Wednesday evening—outside of the North Pole, that is—might have been East Lansing, Michigan.
Coaching their respective teams four days before Christmas, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Oakland coach Greg Kampe donned instantly memorable holiday ensembles in the teams’ second consecutive Winter Solstice matchup.
Izzo wore a light green, elvish sweater, making for a humorous contrast with the Spartans’ familiar dark green hue.
Meanwhile, Kampe led the Golden Grizzlies in a Grinch-themed button-down shirt, complete with the words “Merry Grinchmas.”
Neither squad will play again before Christmas—the Spartans host Buffalo on Dec. 30, and Oakland faces Milwaukee on Dec. 29.
On Tuesday, Michigan State’s Twitter account posted video of Izzo leading players and fans in a spirited rendition of “Jingle Bells” on the Accordion at his annual holiday radio show.
Izzo and Kampe rank among college basketball’s most experienced elves, having shepherded their respective teams through a combined 67 Christmases.
Michigan State beat Oakland, 67-54, to improve to 8-4 on the season.
