Quite a few people have asked me recently who they should be rooting for in tonight's game in the Jimmy V Classic featuring Syracuse and Michigan State. It's a very challenging question, because you have to weigh your devotion to the Big East against your eternal hate for Syracuse. On one hand, If Michigan State wins, Big Ten will have an argument that the Big Ten is the best basketball conference in America. Syracuse is currently in the top 10 and expected to compete for the Big East crown, and if they get throttled by Michigan State, it makes us all look bad. On the other hand, if Syracuse beats Michigan State, it will help our RPI come March because we will have swept a team that beat one of the top teams in the country. Many fans of the Big East argue that we must root for our own conference during their out of conference schedule, because it is only going to improve our resumes in the long run. It is definitely a tough choice, and I understand both sides of the argument. But, like any argument, you ultimately have to be on one side and stick to it.
After The Jump, I have to make a decision on who to root for tonight.
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NO BRAINER.