Holy Night: Taylor University Hosts 'Silent Night' Game, The Best Tradition In College Basketball

The Taylor University Trojans have the best annual tradition in college basketball, and it's not close.

Each year, the small Christian liberal arts school from Upland, Indiana hosts a “Silent Night” game. Last night, the Trojans hosted the Great Lakes Christian Crusaders for their Christmas-themed evening.

Several hundred students packed Odle Arena, wearing creative costumes to add to the festive feel of the night. While you’d think all the intensity in the gym would take place during the game, getting a seat for the matchup is an equally intense event.

Students rush to fill the bleachers, and this year, chaos ensued in hilarious fashion. It was so funny, former NFL legend J.J. Watt posted an extensive thread breaking down all the highlights from the mad dash to the stands.

While that doesn’t necessarily fit the mood of a “Silent Night”, the rest of the evening takes care of that.

As soon as the buzzer sounds to signal the end of pregame warmups, the entire crowd falls quiet. No one talks, no one laughs. Silence permeates the room. You would think you were watching a match of the Wimbledon final.

That is, until the Trojans score their tenth point.

During the first quarter, with the Trojans up 7-5, Gavin Yoon launched a three. As soon as his shot tickled the nylon, the students flooded the court and celebrated for several minutes in a way that was anything but silent.

Later in the evening, the entire stadium sways back and forth, majestically singing the classic Christmas song. There’s something about this song that fills you with heavenly peace (pun intended).

Taylor won the game, 103-65. But the real victory was turning a basketball game in a small town in Indiana into a borderline spiritual experience.