Merril’s Siena at Northern Iowa Picks
December 12, 2009
Steve Merril is now 18-7 on his last 25 with college basketball picks. If you have been looking for an edge over the books or have just been having troubles picking apart the college basketball spreads on your own, think about signing up for one of his long term subscriptions today. Nobody does a better job of beating the books on a nightly basis than Steve does, and his numerous clients who come back to him year after year can attest to that. If you are looking for a great place to get in on the action, then look at the $100 match bonus offered to our readers by Bodog! Read up on why he took UNI over Siena, which was another winner for him and his clients.
Northern Iowa has been pointing towards this game since last season. The Panthers traveled to Siena for a Bracket Buster game, but left with a 6-point loss (81-75). Northern Iowa was overwhelmed in the first half and they trailed 40-19 at the break. But once they settled down, they were able to out-score Siena by 15 points (56-41) in the second half. And that high-paced game is not the way the Panthers want to play, and with this game on their home court, they’ll be able to dictate their preferred tempo tonight.
The Panthers have held every opponent to less than 70 points this season. And they should be able to do it once again here while forcing Siena into a half-court game. The Saints are not a team that likes to play slow, and when forced to play that way, they struggle mightily. This season, they’ve been held to less than 70 points four times. They’ve gone just 1-3 SU/ATS in those games. When allowed to play fast, Siena is a much better team as they’ve gone 5-0 SU/ATS in those games.
“We got our butt whipped, hands down,” UNI’s Kwadzo Ahelegbe said of last year’s loss at Siena. “Every game is important, especially against past NCAA Tournament teams,” Ahelegbe said. “They’ve been there plenty of times, so it’s a great team to see. This is a measuring tool for us. That’s what we’re trying to get to. We’re obviously trying to win games in the NCAA Tournament.”
