NCAA Basketball Free Pick – Saturday, March 5, 2011
Purdue to looking to boil the Hawkeyes in regular season finale
The Big Ten Conference is likely to send as many as six teams to the NCAA Tournament later this month. One of these teams is surely to be the Purdue Boilermakers. One of the clubs likely to be left out from the conference is the Iowa Hawkeyes. They will meet in the regular season finale for both institutions.
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#6 Purdue (25-5, 14-3 Big Ten) at Iowa (10-19, 3-14 Big Ten)
Date/Time: Saturday, March 5, 4:00 PM ET
Venue: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA.
Broadcast: ESPN
Spread: Purdue -9
Over/Under: OFF
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The Boilermakers have one of the best RPI rankings in the entire country, playing in the league ranked as second toughest by that same system. Purdue has also performed well in both league and non-league settings. In the Big Ten, they have earned season splits with both Ohio State and Wisconsin. Outside the conference, they have quality wins against Virginia Tech, Alabama, Oakland, and Valparaiso – all of whom will likely join them in the big dance later this month.
The Boilermakers can secure a share of the regular season championship in the league if they defeat Iowa and have the Buckeyes lose this weekend to the Badgers. Two players have stood out above the rest in making Purdue a serious Final Four contender this season.
One of those is E’Twaun Moore, who has been big in big games. He is second on the club in points (18.5 PPG), rebounds (5.3 RPG), and assists (3.2 APG), all while leading the team with 67 made three-pointers. The other standout has been JaJuan Johnson. A projected first-rpund selection in this June’s NBA Draft, Johnson is leading the way averaging 20.8 points and 8 rebounds per contest. But these two players also help the team get it done on defense: the Boilermakers rank 18th best in the country in fewest points allowed per contest (60.6), one of three league teams in the top 20 in this stat nationally.
It’s been a difficult stretch of a disappointing season for the Hawkeyes, but they hope to send seniors TJ Sayre and Jarryd Cole out with a win. Doing so would snap a six-game losing slide. They’ve defeated Indiana twice, but have shown an ability to well at home, posting a February victory over Michigan State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is paced by junior guard Matt Gatens, who leads them in scoring at 12.6 points per game. He will need to improve upon a 4-for-10 shooting performance from the first meeting with Purdue, a 23-point loss on January 9.
Matt’s Free Prediction: The Boilermakers are rolling at the right time of season, and should not only win this game but see their season rewarded with at least a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They are 8-4 on the road ATS this season, making them a solid choice.
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