The Valparaiso Crusaders will meet the George Washington Colonials in the NIT Final at MSG tonight. Both teams come in playing very well, but it's Valparaiso that has the more polished resume. The Crusaders finished first in the Horizon Conference with a record of 16-2, while the Colonials finished 5th in the A-10 with a record of 11-7. My money is on the Crusaders.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - George Washington hasn't done well against the top teams in the country, failing to cover in six of their last eight versus teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better. The Crusaders have no problems winning away from home, with a road record of 12-4, and an ATS record of 5-1 in their last seven at neutral sites.

2. Depth - The Crusaders don't depend on any one player for offense, and they have a huge edge when it comes to scoring depth. They had five players score in double-digits in the win over BYU, and their bench out-scored the Cougars bench 22-6.

3. X-Factor - Valparaiso has limited opponents to just 63.7 points on 38.9 percent shooting this season, and their defense has been key in their success in the tournament so far.

Selection: This is a play on the Valparaiso Crusaders (10*)