He doesn't have to deal with the Boilermakers, Hawkeyes or Hoosiers. Not anymore.
Instead, Michael Finke plays against the Kangaroos, Vaqueros and Roadrunners.
After spending the first four years of his basketball career at Illinois, Finke wanted a change.
So, he left Champaign, the only city he had ever known, to play in faraway Phoenix. For basketball newbie Grand Canyon, a member of the WAC.
How different is it? Well, while we were all freezing Tuesday afternoon, Finke was sitting poolside at his Arizona area apartment. The temperature was 75 degrees. Windchill: 75 degrees.
"It's pretty cool to come out here by the pool every day when it's warm and soak it all in," Finke said.