Northern Iowa-Purdue Breakdown

Purdue is becoming a chic pick to make a run at a Regional Final appearance, and  they've been called a hot team coming into the tournament. 

Looking closer at Purdue's performance down the stretch, you have to wonder if this is really the case. 

In the Big-10 Tournament they beat a Penn State team coming off a loss to downtrodden Iowa, an Illinois team without Chester Frasier, and an above average Ohio State squad. 

Down the stretch in the regular season, the Boilermakers lost three out of their last four games, including a home loss to Northwestern. 

Northern Iowa is in a similar situation, winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament after a rough patch towards the end of the season where they lost four of five games before winning their final five. 

This game has all the makings of a classic No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup. 

Guards

Northern Iowa

Kwadzo Ahelegbe (Ka-JOE Uh-HELIG-buh) is the catalyst for the Panthers' three guard attack. Ahelegbe controls the sets in the offense and is very good off the dribble getting to the basket and pulling up for mid-range jump shots.

UNI struggled mightily in turnovers a season ago when Ahelegbe was out with a shoulder injury.

Freshman Johnny Moran and Junior Ali Farokmanesh are the two other starters in the backcourt for UNI. Both are exceptional shooters, combining for 121 threes on the season.

Off the bench, UNI plays its lone senior, former starter Travis Brown. Brown brings a solid shooting touch and better length along the perimeter standing at 6'5".

With both Farokmanesh and Moran being only 6'0", Brown brings a different dimension to the team when playing against bigger guards.

Purdue

Chris Kramer is seemingly in his 14th year of college eligibility, joining former Big-10 greats Jess Settles and Evan Eschmeyer as the players that refuse to graduate.

The sad thing is, the 2008 Big-10 Defensive Player of the Year is only a junior. The kind of player that every team loves to have and hate to play against, Kramer can shut down the best perimeter player for an opposing team and always seems to be in the right spot.

Lewis Jackson and E'Twuan Moore bring athletic ability and solid scoring to the team. 

Analysis

The last time UNI played a team with this much backcourt talent, they were run out of the gym by Marquette in November. 

The Panthers are a different team than they were then and need to be able to handle the defensive intensity that Purdue in going to bring to the table. 

Twelve turnovers or less needs to be the goal for UNI if they want to be in the game at the end.

Frontcourt

Northern Iowa

Seven-footer Junior Adam Koch (Cook) has grown tremendously over the past three years at UNI, becoming a force down low.  Koch does a good job of using contact to get to the foul line and frustrate opposing players. 

Center Jordan Eglseder is a matchup problem for a lot of teams, yet can be neutralized if the team decides to go quick.  The big man has surprising footwork for a player his size and a nice touch outside. 

Off the bench, MVC Sixth Man of the Year Lucas O'Rear brings toughness and a mean- streak to the team.  He rebounds, sets screens, and hollers whenever the team needs it.

Purdue

Robbie Hummel battled through injuries throughout the 2008-09 season, but appears to be rounding into shape at just the right time.  Hummel is a do-everything player that will knock down a three, take a charge, sell ice cream cones, and block a shot in succession.

Down low, JaJuan Johnson is a big body that can step out and hit a 14-footer.  He needs to continue to work at keeping his focus throughout the course of the game to play at his full capabilities.

Analysis

UNI hasn't played a team this season with these type of inside players.  Eglseder and O'Rear will be able to slow down Johnson, it is going to be a matter of finding somebody that can stop Hummel.

To pull the upset the Panthers are going to have to do play to the strengths that led them to the conference championship: good three-point shooting, stingy defense, and limited turnovers.  UNI needs to keep this game close and avoid getting down big early in the game. 

You rarely see upsets from teams that are down big early.  The good news is with this game being played in Portland, this will truly be a neutral environment.  And if UNI keeps it close, the neutral fans will be cheering for the underdog.

This is UNI's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six seasons.  Each year the upset bid has fallen just short, losing to first runner-up Georgia Tech in 2004, sixth seeded Wisconsin in 2005, and to Georgetown in 2006. 

This year, the Panthers finally get over the hump.

UNI 62 Purdue 57