I am sick of all this talk about the Big Ten being a lesser conference than the ACC, Big East, SEC and Big 12. I have felt this way for awhile, but have never expressed my frustrations - until now.

It's January and we are in the midst of men's and women's college basketball. But this phenomenon spans across numerous sports, including football.

However, let's maintain our focus on the basketball world and how year in and year out the Big Ten always has one really good team and two or three other pretty good teams, which mysteriously qualifies them to not be a good conference, in comparison to the conferences listed above.

The idea of an East Coast bias is very real and very true. With almost all of the teams in the SEC, ACC and Big East being in the East, with the exception of a few teams that are Southeast, this makes up half of the six major conferences. The other three, the Pac-10, the Big Ten and the Big 12 sit outside of the East.

The adopted son of the East Coast is the Big 12. How that came about, I don't know, but the teams never seem to be looked at in a negative light and the conference as a whole is viewed quite favorably.

Since when do people in the East like people from places such as Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma - go figure.

What spawned this idea was when MSU head coach Tom Izzo made a little joke, about two weeks ago, referencing the fact that the ACC is the best conference in basketball. The joke was in reference to how the ACC teams are looked upon as great teams, while other teams are viewed as second tier.

While we all love Dick Vitale (yeah right), he does think the "Dukies" are the greatest program ever and North Carolina is "unbelievable, BABY!!" Even teams like Maryland (not a good team), Virginia (even worse) and others get more respect, just for being in the same conference as these teams.

But, let's not pick on Dicky V, because he is not the only reason for this bias - he just knowingly or unknowingly supports it all over ESPN, the number one source for sports, all the time.

The bias comes from ESPN being located in Connecticut, from New York being the center of life in the United States and from so many other factors.

I just want to throw out my Midwest, Big Ten bias, because I know others feel the same.

Having grown up in Michigan and Illinois, I have a certain special place for teams from the Midwest, but as all Midwesterners know, it goes deeper than that. The Midwest is the heart of the country and is responsible for pumping blood throughout the rest of the United States.

Of course New York (the brains) is extremely important and California (the looks) shows how diverse and beautiful our country is, but it's heart that is always discussed in the sports world.

So, why are the teams and conferences in the heart of country looked at by other areas as not as good or important?

As you can see, this issue transcends sports and is rooted in many things, but facts are facts - hard work does not get you as far as flashy play and "dipsy doo dunk-a-roo," as Mr. Vitale would put it.

On the MSU men's basketball team, there is only one player from outside of the Midwest - freshman center Idong Ibok. As far as the Big Ten, the conference games are a dog fight night in and night out. The last two seasons, Minnesota (last year) and Purdue (this year) have been looked at as poor teams because of their inability to get wins.

Watch Purdue play, watch any Big Ten team play and you will see the toughness and heart. While the West Coast kids suffer the time-zone bias, Midwestern conferences and teams get shunned for unknown reasons.

I don't hate the East Coast, I just think all conferences, teams, people, etc. should be treated equally in the eyes of others. This season, the Pac-10 is better than people think and Big Ten is better than people think.

All I can hope for now is a Final Four that has Arizona, Washington, Illinois and MSU. Oh wait, maybe that wouldn't be so good - it's not a legitimate Final Four without a team from the ACC or another East Coast conference.

J. Ryan Mulcrone is the State News deputy sports editor and loves the Midwest and all that it stands for. He can be reached at mulcron3@msu.edu.