Dribble Handoff: What gifts Kentucky, Kansas and UCLA get from college basketball’s Santa Claus this Christmas

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It’s that time of year, when Santa Claus makes dreams come true for kids across the world. What if he came to college basketball bearing gifts? What would he bring?

The wish list is long for players, coaches, teams and leagues around the sport. With nonconference play wrapping up for most programs, needs are more obvious now than they were before the season. If expectations are going to be met or surpassed, a visit from college basketball’s Santa Claus would be ideal for almost everyone. 

While no such gift-bearing phenomenon exists, we are getting in the holiday spirt for this week’s Dribble Handoff. These are the gifts we would give if we could play the role of college basketball’s Santa Claus.

For St. John’s: A point guard 

Unless things dramatically turn around and culminate with a deep run through the bracket of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, this season at St. John’s will forever be remembered as the one that started with Rick Pitino calling Ian Jackson the Red Storm’s “next great point” but quickly turned into something that had the Hall of Fame coach lamenting the idea that nobody on his roster qualifies as a true high-major point guard.

It’s not ideal!

Can St. John’s still be good without a legitimate high-major lead-guard? Sure, I guess. The Red Storm are still 20th at BartTorvik.com and KenPom.com — and 26th in the Top 25 And 1. They’re not bad. They’re just not … great. And unfortunately for anybody who might’ve had them No. 1 in the preseason, it appears likely that they’ll always fall something short of great because of some combination of recruiting failures and miscalculations that have left one of the sport’s most talented rosters with a gaping hole. — Gary Parrish

For Mick Cronin: Cozy clothes, sleeping pills and an airplane pillow

My colleagues are trying to gift out individual things to teams increase their chances of winning over the next three months. But I am looking at the calendar and trying to be more practical. There’s an urgent matter just over the horizon that needs immediate attention.

A year ago, UCLA coach Mick Cronin was furious at the sight of the Statue of Liberty and the state of the Bruins’ travel schedule. He was so miffed by the team’s travel arrangements, he made sure of two things last offseason: he would quietly sign a big new contract, and he his team did not leave the state of California for any of its nonconference games this November and December. But Big Ten play starts in earnest the next in less than two weeks, and I have some tough news for Cronin — It’s time to hit the road

Jan. 3: @ Iowa
Jan. 6: @ Wisconsin
Jan. 10: vs. Maryland
Jan. 14: @ Penn State
Jan. 17: @ Ohio State

The 10-3 Bruins have four of their first five games of 2026 not only on the road, but two or three time zones away. The brunt of UCLA’s Big Ten travel is early, which is probably preferred, but Cronin’s capacity to go viral with a postgame rant is all the more probable thanks to this unforgiving start to January. The team may well lose three of its first five games after the New Year. That in mind, Cronin needs some Lululemon, travel slippers, sleeping medication for the long flights, a high-end pillow to help catch some Zs and a few podcasts to pass the time/reduce his anxiety. Obviously, Eye on College Basketball should be the go-to, but if he’s looking for something outside of sports, SmartLess and Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend are as enjoyable as non-sports pods get. — Matt Norlander

For Illinois: A playmaking defender 

Illinois is scoring 127.5 points per 100 possessions, per KenPom data. That’s a mark ranked second nationally in adjusted efficiency margin per the website. That’s elite. They are picking teams apart by taking care of the ball, shooting it efficiently and smashing teams on the offensive glass. What’s not elite for the Illini, and largely why there are 9-3 instead of 12-0: their defense.

They are surrendering 98.1 points per 100 possessions — a number ranked 27th nationally in adjusted efficiency. That’s perfectly fine and could get Illinois to 25 wins with ease. But it is nowhere close to elite. (Michigan, for comparison, is first, surrendering just 88.2 points per 100 possessions.)

They are dead last among major conference teams in steal rate defensively and in turnover rate forced. (And, for what it’s worth, this is a theme under Brad Underwood going back several years.) They don’t generate enough chaos to create transition opportunities — an area that, per Synergy data, Illinois rates in the 92nd percentile in nationally. 

Let’s give the Illini a defensive playmaker or two and just see what happens. If this team was even at the Div. I average in steal rate or turnover rate defensively they could level up to a juggernaut potentially with the way their offense is humming. That’s not the case. And it may be the one area I would pinpoint that ultimately keeps this team as a No. 3 or 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament as opposed to a No. 1 or 2 seed. It’s areas on the margin holding Illinois back that separates Illinois from just a good defense to a truly great one. — Kyle Boone

For Kentucky: Magic shoulder cream

If Kentucky could just have a healthy and available Lowe, it would alleviate many of its problems. With frontcourt players Mo Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance back in the rotation after working back from injuries of their own, a clean bill of health for Lowe is the final missing piece. 

That’s why I’m getting the Wildcats some magic shoulder cream that fixes all shoulder issues for point guards. It’s the second year in a row UK is grappling with this problem. Last year, it was Lamont Butler, who soldiered through shoulder issues that required him to wear a bulky brace. This year, Lowe has played in just six of UK’s 13 games while navigating a problematic shoulder situation of his own.

Lowe is the Wildcats’ most impactful offensive player, according to EvanMiya.com‘s BPR metric, because he’s the straw that stirs the drink. He’s this roster’s one true point guard, and life without him makes for some ugly offense. –David Cobb

According to KenPom’s glorious database, there are only two teams that have not won the opening tip against a fellow Division I club. Vermont and Mercyhurst. The basketball gods have to rectify this. Vermont is particularly confusing. John Becker has trotted out three different players to try and win the jump to no avail. Gus Yalden (0-1), Ben Michaels (0-2) and Noah Barnett (0-10) have all whiffed.

Oh, and the jump ball isn’t nothing. Models predict that winning the jump ball increases your chance of winning the game by 3%. Even with the opening-tip follies, Vermont is still projected to be the kings of the America East. Mercyhurst very likely won’t win the NEC, but it will have that early-November victory over Loyola-Chicago on the ledger forever. — Isaac Trotter

There were not many players in college basketball (in recent memory) who arrived with more hype entering the season than Peterson. The projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft is one of the best guard prospects of this generation and is an elite scorer. Simply put, it’s been a shame Peterson hasn’t been able to play more because I think people are forgetting how good he is. Peterson has only appeared in four games this season. For Kansas to be the best version of itself down the stretch, it’s going to need him to be healthy.

That’s why, for Christmas, I’m giving Peterson a fresh bill of health. College basketball fans deserve to watch one of the best players in the sport play more. Kansas coach Bill Self already said this week that it’s a mutual agreement between Kansas and the Peterson family to hold him out until he’s at full strength. — Cameron Salerno

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