Though college football will rule the day, this college hoops matchup between West Virginia and Purdue would presently look very entertaining on the first Saturday in April in Indianapolis for the Final Four. Purdue is at home and typically tough at Macke
2010-01-04
Though college football will rule the day, this college hoops matchup between West Virginia and Purdue would presently look very entertaining on the first Saturday in April in Indianapolis for the Final Four. Purdue is at home and typically tough at Mackey Arena. Can West Virginia pull the upset in this battle of unbeatens? See the GAME MATCHUP page on Sportsbook.com for the latest key betting information.
This is a fantastic way to kickoff 2010 on the hardwood. Coach Bob Huggins has brought attitude and muscle to West Virginia program and the basketball world is noticing. No longer a finesse team, the Mountaineers have more ways to beat opponents than a multi-purpose pocket knife. Kevin Jones is Huggins favorite with his skill and attitude. Presuming Devin Ebanks and Casey Mitchell get close to 100 percent healthy, this club has no ceiling. Fatigue could be a factor even with West Virginia’s depth, playing fourth game in 10 days. The ‘Teers are 22-8 ATS when they attempt 54 to 62 shots in a game.
Defense has always been a hallmark of Big Ten basketball and today nobody is doing it better than Purdue. Coach Matt Painter welcomed back all five starters and they along with a few reserves force over 19 turnovers a game. Guards E’Twaun Moore and Chris Kramer are the first line of defense and they stick to opponents tighter than a pair of Mariah Carey jeans. Forward Robbie Hummel is the heart and soul of Boilers basketball and JaJuan Johnson probably has the brightest future at the next level. Purdue doesn’t give up games at the charity stripe and is 17-6 ATS when they make 79 percent or more of their free throws.
StatFox Steve offered up a Best bet on this game in the StatFox Paltinum Sheet: Purdue has developed one of the biggest home court advantages in college basketball in recent years: Painter is 26-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record as the coach of PURDUE. The average score was PURDUE 70.4, OPPONENT 60.2 - (Rating = 1*). Over the last three seasons, with the current core group of starters for the Boilermakers, that record has been 15-4 ATS. In fact, if you check out the StatFox CBB Strength Indicators page, you’ll see that Purdue boasts an “8” for home court advantage points. That is as good as it gets, matched only by Kansas, Memphis, and Xavier. With the Mountaineers having just a “1” for their road court rating, that means oddsmakers SHOULD account for an extra 7-points in this one. They never do that, instead usually assign the standard 4-points. That will be the difference here. Play: Purdue
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