Northwestern vs. Northern Iowa Gamethread

After yet another scare due to a second half scoring drought, Northwestern pulled away to beat Miami (OH) in Cancun on Tuesday, improving to 5-0 on the season and advancing to the championship game of the Cancun Challenge against Northern Iowa.

While the Cancun Challenge isn't the caliber of last year's tournament that featured games against Missouri and UCLA, Norther Iowa presents a formidable test. The Panthers rank 54th in the KenPom.com ratings, and they're 5-0 with a lot of returning talent. 6-foot-8 forward Seth Tuttle could present some matchup problems, especially if he gets matched up on Alex Olah and can pull him out of the paint. Deon Mitchell will be one of the better guards that Bryant McIntosh, Tre Demps and JerShon Cobb see in non-conference season, and McIntosh's defense, in particular, will be tested.

This is the first game where Northwestern is a significant underdog and it should help prepare the Wildcats for their only three-game stretch of tough games in non-conference play, with Georgia Tech at home and Butler on the road coming next. Here's how to watch this one:

TV: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 8:30 p.m. CT, CBS Sports Network
RADIO: 87.7 FM The Game
KENPOM PREDICTION: Northwestern has a 35% chance of winning, UNI projected to win 59-55