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Purdue is coming off what was clearly the Boilers' best performance so far this season in its win over Eastern Illinois Wednesday and looks to keep that momentum going Sunday afternoon. In that game, Ronnie Johnson dazzled with 10 points, eight assists and just one turnover in only 24 minutes of action.
Purdue has one last home game before heading on the road next week for the Old Spice Classic. The Boilers face a Siena team that has seemed to improve with every game this season, though their opponents and their record are both unimpressive. The last time Purdue faced Siena was in the NCAA tourney in 2010, when Iowa coach Fran Mccaffery was the Saints' head coach.
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Projected Starters: |
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Purdue Boilermakers (4-0) |
Siena Saints (2-3) |
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Terone Johnson - Sr. |
Marquis Wright - Fr. |
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Ronnie Johnson - So. |
Maurice White - Fr. |
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Kendall Stephens -Fr. |
Rob Poole - Jr. |
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Errick Peck - Sr. |
Lavon Long - Fr. |
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A.J. Hammons - So. |
Imoh Silas - Jr. |
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Series With Purdue: |
Purdue leads 1-0 |
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Odds: |
None |
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Blog Representation |
None |
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Location: |
Loudonville, NY |
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Best Postseason result: |
3-6 in NCAA Tournament, made round of 32 in 1989, 2008 and 2009 |
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2012-13 Record: |
8-24 (4-14 MAAC) |
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Coach: |
Jimmy Patsos (1st year at Siena) |
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RPI: |
260 |
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Time: |
12 pm |
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TV: |
Big Ten Network (Shon Morrison and Chris Denari) |
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Radio: |
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Streaming Audio: |
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The Saints started their season with three straight losses before scoring two last-minute wins last week. Tuesday Marquis Wright hit a layup at the buzzer to beat St. Boneventure, then Friday night Imoh Silas scored a putback at the buzzer to beat Cornell. Prior to those wins, Siena lost to Albany (74-62), Vermont (77-68), and La Salle (78-74).
The Saints were picked 10th in the MAAC's preseason poll. That's actually one spot lower than they finished last year with their 4-14 conference record.
Siena is yet another team that is much smaller than what Purdue will face for the majority of its season. Silas, their junior center, is one of two 6-foot-8 players that see significant time on the court. Their roster also has two 6-foot-9 players, but they usually stay on the bench.
On the bright side, this matchup presents wonderful opportunities for A.J. Hammons and Jay Simpson to exploit. Unfortunately, far too often in this young season we've seen the opposite happen, where smaller teams use their quickness to exploit Purdue's size. A key here is both of Purdue's bigs have to stay out of trouble and try to limit the amount of time they spend drawn out away from the basket.
The Boilers should be able to cruise to a win in this game, but we've said that before already this season and had not one, but two games come down to the wire that never should have. Here's to hoping Purdue comes out and quickly gets the job done, cruising to Orlando with an undefeated record and no injuries before its matchup with top-10 Oklahoma State next week.