UW vs MU - A Badger Fan's Perspective

Now that Marquette has cleared UWM, and UW-Madison has taken care of been humbled by UW-Green Bay, it is time for the main in-state showdown in NCAA hoops! If you are a regular reader, then you probably already know that we here at The Tap are Badger fans all the way. Now, I understand some of our readers are fans of the Marquette Golden Eagles ( you are no longer the Warriors - get over it), so let me clear the air right away; I hate Marquette! Before there was Vander Blue, before there was Wesley Matthews, and even before Marquette reached the Final Four several years ago....I have had an extreme dislike for Marquette. Going to school in Whitewater and now residing in the Milwaukee area, I have become friends with many MU fans, and many have asked me how I can possibly have so much animosity towards a Wisconsin sports team. Hopefully I can shed some light:

First and Foremost, It is a Rivalry
And an in-state rivalry at that. This, "but both are Wisconsin teams" line is garbage to me. Do fans of UNC cheer for Duke and vice versa? They'd rather cut out their own vocal cords than be caught cheering for one another. True, they are also conference rivals, but the proximity plays a major factor. In football, one big time non-conference in-state rivalry game is Iowa vs Iowa St. The state of Iowa has less going for it in the sport's world than Wisconsin, and even they can't get along! You don't cheer for a rival, period!

Sometimes people like to mention that UWM and UW-Green Bay could be considered rivals, but I do cheer for them when they aren't playing the Badgers. There must be more to it then...

Recruiting of Local Talent
Even though they are Division-1, UWM and UWGB are both mid-major schools, so let's face it, they rarely are vying for the same talent as UW-Madison or Marquette are. Wesley Mathews went to Marquette, Marcus Landry went to Wisconsin....those were headlines. When UWGB or UWM make headlines, it is either from a Cinderella run or from top notch coaches leaving the program (Dick Bennet & Bruce Pearl). This "recruiting rivalry" is all too evident by the recent Vander Blue betrayal incident. Such as UNC and Duke fight for the nation's top talent, UW-Madison and Marquette fight for the top Wisconsin/Midwest talent. The loss of Vander Blue could potentially harm the Badgers chances in the future, so why should I cheer for the rival team that took him away? But, losing recruits happens all the time amongst many different schools, so there has to be more...

Fair Weather Fans
For the reasons listed above, I do not cheer for Marquette. They are an in-state rival that the Badgers face every year who is essentially picking from the same recruiting pool, so it drives me nuts that so many Marquette fans will cheer for the Badgers in games they don't play each other. How can I go to a bar with someone and cheer together for the Badgers to win a game, but when the next time around they cheer vehemently against the team they were just rooting for the other day and taunting me the entire time?!?! Either you are on this ship or you are off, don't hop on as convenient. Don't cheer with me one day, taunt me the next, then try to cheer with me again after that. All I hear is "Hi, I'm your friend...I hope you die." I know there are plenty of Marquette fans who do hate Badgers Hoops with the same passion I have against Marquette, and I think I might respect them more than the flip-floppers.

Marquette is a Private School
This reason is obviously very personal, but I hate private schools. I don't necessarily have a good reasoning for it; It could date back to my high school days and my personal feelings about WISAA teams being let into the WIAA. I've been consistent about always rooting against the private schools (I'll pick the Heels over Duke every time). This is also another reason why I can respect UWM and UW-Green Bay. Hey, I never claimed to be rational.

So, there you have some of the main reasons why I personally loathe the Marquette University basketball squad. Maybe some of you have other reasons, and we'd love to hear them. We also would love to hear from some of you whose allegiances falls to Marquette, and read what your thoughts are against the Badgers and their fans.

Rivalries can be a ton of fun, as long as one side isn't douchey about things (ex. Chicago Cubs fans), which obviously isn't the case here since we are still brethren. So, let's all pick a clear side, and let the trash talking begin. It should be a great game!

Marquette quickly exited the 2009 NCAA Tourney - Dustin laughed