The North Dakota State Bison finished at the top of the Summit League, beating out rivals South Dakota State in a thriller in their last game. They face a much tougher test Friday in the first round of the tournament against the Gonzaga Bulldogs who come in as heavy favorites. I like the underdog here getting a whole bunch of points.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - Gonzaga has a history of getting knocked out of the tournament early, as it has failed to go further than it's second game in each of the last five years. The Bison come in as winners of eight of their last 10, and they have covered the spread in four of their last five neutral site games.

2. Lawrence Alexander - The senior guard scored 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting for the Bison in their win over South Dakota State, and he has a history of making big shots in the tournament. He hit a game tying three-point shot to force OT in the Bison's upset win over Oklahoma last year.

3. X-Factor - The Bulldogs are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 neutral site games.

Selection: This is a play on the North Dakota State Bison (10*)