There are a lot of people on Twitter who seem to not understand what J was talking about last night; so here's the deal:
Neither of us pulled too hard for the B1G last night.
In short, we don't have a ton of love for the conference.
A few years ago, J and I discussed how Purdue people tend to root for the conference when the Boilers have been knocked out of the tourney or during bowl games. But J started seeing the error of blindly following the conference when living in SEC country as SEC shills would root for the entire conference rather than their alma mater. I think this behavior pissed him off, so he made an about face.
I, on the other hand, have had a problem with the conference for a long time. Let's not forget that in the first 50 years or so of the existence of the conference, teams like aOSU would get special treatment. For instance, those teams wouldn't have to play road games but about once in every four years when playing conference foes. It's a bit easier to dominate opponents when you never have to leave the friendly confines, don't you think. But that's an old axe to grind...let's fast-forward a few years.
When all of the problems came up a few seasons ago about aOSU players receiving cars, tattoos and gear in exchange for SWAG, one of their defenses were that the kids didn't have enough money because of NCAA rules and regulations. Nearly immediately, Delany and company started using their soap box to try to get some more money in the hands of athletes...the timing just kind of stunk.
On top of this, aOSU's history of cheating makes me dislike them a lot...and Wisconsin's style of basketball a few years ago, which set college basketball back 30 years or so, coupled with their unlikable fan base forces me to almost-never root for Bucky. And most-recently, MSU players and coaches alike seem to have come together to brush a very serious situation under the rug...while the media tells us how squeaky-clean Sparty really is...And then, there is the shady summer of '10.
But honestly, last night was an awful night to pick whom to root for in the NCAA tournament.
aOSU v. Cincy
Outside of Aaron Craft's defense and his blush-covered cheeks, what's there to love in this match-up?
L'Ville v. MSU
Old Slime v. New Slime
Wisc v. 'Cuse
I rooted for Bo...see where that got me??
Fla v. Marq
Once again, thanks for nothing, Marquette. That might be the last time I root for you guys.
Rooting for the state of Wisconsin was the easiest thing to do last night. A Wisconsin win would have insured no more entitled whining from Boeheim in my TV. Sadly, that didn't work out because Taylor and co. have no offense other than shooting 22 footers. Next up, I rooted for Marquette because the Golden Eagles' coach and I look like brothers (so handsome)...and Donavan is a dirty gangster who made a bad deal with the devil to get two national titles. Root for the other four?? I'd only feel dirty and disgusting this morning. It's best to stay neutral...something that I clearly am not a fan of.
Tonight, do yourself a favor and root for the underdogs, sans IU of course, and Baylor instead of X. It'll be the easiest way to respect yourself in the morning.
Now, specifically addressing the IU v. Kentucky game- There are Purdue fans out there who say they must root for IU...Huh?
Clearly, these people don't live in Indiana and never get on the interwebnets. I can tell you that the last thing that this state needs is all news being pushed aside for yet another week of Crean's shiny forehead being on the HD screen. Don't get me wrong, I can't stand Calipari...but all of this year's wins will be vacated by 2015, so none of this will matter in the not-too-distant future. The best case scenario is IU gets lambasted tonight and none of it counts after Calipari has headed to the NBA (again). That way, no one really wins...and the ideal scenario occurs: everyone loses.