I was going to say Joseph Family Thanksgivings will never be the same but, you know...Canadians.

Two reasons I officially love Kris & Maurice Joseph's mom Eartha. Both come from this exchange.

"I guess it comes down to the best man wins, eh?" Rigsby said by telephone. "They can make war out of anything and nothing at the same time. The bottom line is blood."

Presumably, she meant family bloodlines, not drawing blood.

No. 1, she threw in an "eh?"  Perfect.  No. 2, when referring to blood, I like to presume she meant the latter.  THUN-DER-DOME!  THUN-DER-DOME! THUN-DER-DOME!

Earth will be in the building on Friday to cheer on her two boys as they do battle against one another.  Possibly by guarding each at times but mostly just as members of opposing squads. 

Bucky Gleason has a great rundown in the Buffalo News of the family history and how much these two have been looking forward to this opportunity:

The boys were like any brothers two years apart, friends one minute and fighting the next. They never showed any real interest in hockey and instead played hoops in playgrounds near their home. Kris is a tough, aggressive player in part because he spent his childhood playing against his brother.

Maurice led the way in basketball while playing tournaments in Canada. He transferred from Michigan State after his freshman year to join Vermont, a team he grew up watching on television. It's only about two hours from home.

Kris left home as a high school junior, lived with a family in Washington and graduated from D.C. powerhouse Archbishop Carroll. He watched Syracuse on TV when he was a kid and was enamored with the idea of playing in the Carrier Dome.

They put Vermont basketball on TVs?  My God...

Great video here by Ryan Miller showcasing the moment SU found out they've be playing Vermont.  The entire team knew immediately what the announcement meant to KrisJo.  He sheds some insight into the history of the two growing up and all the skinned knees involved.