To the uninitiated, the Silent Night basketball game at Taylor University might look like quite the lackluster viewing experience for a while—or, at the very least, a confusing one. But to Taylor fans and students, it's a unique, costume-laden celebration, one better known for its restraint rather than its volume. Here's everything you need to know about this time-honored tradition, including background, date, and how you can watch this year's game.
What is the Silent Night Game?
Silent Night is a pre-Christmas Taylor University tradition harkening back to the late 1990s. Rather than cheer the entirety of the basketball game, Taylor students and spectators stay quiet until the team scores its 10th point. Afterward, students storm the court, releasing the yells and screams they'd been holding inside. It's a chance for kids to blow off some steam before the end of the year, plus a chance to enjoy some of the fanfare you'd expect from a much larger basketball program.
"It's very much a bucket list opportunity for folks. It's special to be a part of and we are so grateful to be centerstage with the community," head coach Josh Andrews told CBS Sports Inside College Basketball in 2023. "For NAIA basketball to have this level of fan support and attendance, it's absolutely a privilege."
When is the 2024 Silent Night Game at Taylor University?
In keeping with its holiday ties, the Silent Night game is held in the Odle Arena at the same time every year: the Friday before fall finals week. This year, that's Friday, Dec. 6th at 6 p.m. ET.
Taylor University students, faculty, and staff have first dibs on tickets; after that, the public will have a chance to buy. As of this writing, the general on-sale will begin Nov. 26 and continue until all tickets are gone.
Why Keep Quiet? Explaining the Silence
The silence harkens back to the original "10th-point celebration," the first of which occurred in 1997. But it also memorializes the calm of the Christmas carol "Silent Night," a delicate and religious ditty describing the quiet of Jesus's birth.
"It’s a little bit [of a play on] ‘no one talks for the first ten points,’” Athletic Director Kyle Gould told CBS Sports Inside College Basketball in 2023, “combined with singing ‘Silent Night,’ which, you know, we here [at Taylor] believe that is the reason for Christmas.”
Although they can cheer before the game (and often do), the crowd immediately falls silent following tip-off. Rather than screaming or clapping following a big play, students wiggle their fingers to show support. And as the score ticks up, so does the anticipation; around the eighth or ninth point, students stand in preparation for the silence-shattering bucket. "Once you get to seventh, eighth, ninth point, you can just see the crowd getting ready," guard Kaden Fuhrmann told CBS. "You can feel it."
The Celebration: After 10
Once the 10th point hits, so does the chaos. Students erupt into cheers, descending upon the court like a tidal wave. Taylor then immediately calls a time-out to avoid a technical foul.
After that, it's pretty much business as usual, only the students—dressed up, decked out, and full of school spirit—are now free to yell and scream as much as they'd like.
Group Costumes and Student Involvement
Adding to the juxtaposition of the crowded but silent gym are students' elaborate costumes and outfits, usually executed in a group fashion and with no less than 110% enthusiasm: previous Silent Night recap videos reveal students dressed as a barrel of monkeys, Batman and the Joker, Where's Waldo, and more.
Snagging a spot in the arena is just as contentious. Although tickets are available to students before game day, the seats themselves are first-come, first-served. If you want a spot along the sidelines, you better be at the doors early. Some students even camp out outside to improve their chances. "We're in the middle of nowhere, Indiana," student David Muselman told local channel WTHR 13NEWS in 2018, "and people sleep out here."
Breaking Out in Song
As the final tradition of the evening, students link arms and sing "Silent Night" as the play clock winds down—an homage to the university's evangelical roots, and a stark departure from the game's earlier rowdiness.
It's the perfect ending to a crazy game, and a soothing-but-energizing springboard to launch into both finals and holiday break.
How to Watch the Silent Night Game
All this talk about Silent Night got you itching to watch? Luckily, you have an option outside of traveling to Indiana yourself: The 2024 game will be streamed live on YouTube, according to the Taylor University website.
To stream, visit taylortrojans.com/Silent_Night on Dec. 6 and press "watch live."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as An Inside Look at Taylor University's Silent Night: Everything You Need to Know.
