Is Northern Iowa for real?

I have not wanted to believe it all year, but it looks like the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season co-champs might be the real deal.

If Northern Iowa puts up a good fight in Sunday's conference tourney title bout, the MVC should be a two-bid conference. And if somehow, someway Illinois State can pull off an upset of No. 2 seed Creighton without damaging the Bluejays' NCAA resume too bad, the MVC might send three teams to the tournament.

Damn shame one of them isn't the SIU Salukis. Maybe that's why I'm still in St. Louis. I'm getting my post-season basketball fix while I still can.