731-32 Northern Iowa vs. Purdue
Play: Purdue -8

Northern Iowa has sailed under the radar all season, but the fact is that this very well coached squad has indeed emerged as the legit best team in the Missouri Valley Conference. But this year's MVC crop turned out to be below that league's usual standards and I can't see Northern Iowa pulling the upset today. Purdue started off red hot, ran into a couple of injuries that slowed them down, but are now looking like a team that could make some noise in this tournament. They're very solid fundamentally and I like their experience. I was also very impressed with their performance in the Big 10 tourney, and believe the Boilermakers might be peaking at just the right time. The underdog is capable of making this a tough game, and the number is high enough to prevent me from taking a strong stance on Purdue, but I do think the Boilermakers are the right side.