Siena vs Niagara Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 3/9/23

The Niagara Purple Eagles and Siena Saints meet Thursday in the college basketball MAAC Tournament Quarterfinal at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

The Niagara Purple Eagles are averaging 65 points on 44.7 percent shooting and allowing 65.8 points on 44 percent shooting. Noah Thomasson is averaging 19.7 points and 3.4 assists, while Aaron Gray is averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. Sam Iorio is dishing 1.3 assists and Braxton Bayless is grabbing 3.2 rebounds. The Niagara Purple Eagles are shooting 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 72 percent from the free throw line. The Niagara Purple Eagles are allowing 36 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 28.8 rebounds per game.

The Siena Saints are averaging 68.7 points on 43.5 percent shooting and allowing 67.1 points on 44.8 percent shooting. Javian McCollum is averaging 15.6 points and 3.7 assists, while Jackson Stormo is averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. Andrew Platek is the third double-digit scorer and Michael Eley is grabbing 2.8 rebounds. The Siena Saints are shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc and 73.7 percent from the free throw line. The Siena Saints are allowing 33.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 31.6 rebounds per game.

The Purple Eagles are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 neutral site games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Saints are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The over is 4-1 in Purple Eagles last 5 overall. The over is 5-2 in Saints last 7 overall.

Both teams are in terrible form at the moment, but the Siena Saints were the better team overall this season ad 9 of its 15 covers came in non home games. The Niagara Purple Eagles were outscored on the year, and they lose in the underdog role by an average of 5.8 points. We’re only laying a bucket. Give me Siena.