Last Updated on March 19, 2010 11:00 am by drew
Purdue-Siena Pick
A wounded team in Purdue will try to fend off an upset-minded Siena team on Friday at 2:30PM ET in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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These two teams will battle it out in the South Regional from Spokane Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington. Purdue is the No. 4 seed and Siena is the No. 13 seed.
Oddsmakers from online sports book BroburySports.com have made Purdue a 4-point favorite over Siena on Friday afternoon. The over/under has been set at 130.
The Boilermakers are making their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and fourth straight showing overall. The Boilermakers are 27-5 on the year and 14-4 in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue has four listed on their injury report, including Robbie Hummel, who is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury after averaging over 15 points per-game for Purdue. Purdue scores 71.1 points per-game, which ranks 110th in the country while the Boilermakers allow 60.9, which ranks 25th in the nation. E’Twaun Moore averages 16.6 points per-game to lead Purdue, but he is dealing with an ankle injury right now. JaJuan Johnson averages 15.2 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Boilermakers.
Siena is making its third straight tournament appearance and sixth in school history. The Saints are 27-6 overall and 17-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, where Siena won the conference title. The Saints score 75.6 points per-game, which ranks 46th in the NCAA. The Saints allow 65.3 points per-game on defense, which ranks 82nd. Siena has a balanced attack as four different players average 14 points per-game or more. Alex Franklin scores 16.1 points per-game and also averages 7.9 rebounds per-game. Ryan Rossiter averages 14.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per-game for the Saints.
Oddsmakers know that Purdue is banged up and that is why the point spread is just four points. Still, Siena is a team with tournament experience and they will not be intimidated by the Boilermakers. Look for Siena to give Purdue all it can handle in a game that will come down to the wire. We suggest a pick of Siena with the over.
Our NCAA Tournament Free Pick for this matchup is: SIENA +4 and OVER 130
March Madness Betting Trends
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Siena’s last 5 games
Siena is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Siena is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Purdue is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Purdue’s last 6 games
Purdue is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
March Madness Injury Report
PURDUE
(!)[G] 03/13/2010 – E’Twaun Moore probable Friday vs. Siena ( Ankle )
[G] 03/16/2010 – Lewis Jackson injured last game, probable Friday vs. Siena ( Foot )
(!)[F] 02/24/2010 – Robbie Hummel out for season ( Knee )
[C] 11/02/2009 – Aleksandar Marcius out indefinitely ( Foot )
SIENA
[G] 01/06/2010 – Denzel Yard out for season ( Academics )
(!)[G] 03/17/2010 – Clarence Jackson is upgraded to probable Friday vs. Purdue ( Ankle )
March Madness Game Odds
Purdue Boilermakers -4 Over 130
Siena Saints +4 Under 130
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Posted: 3/19/10 11:00AM ET