Siena (27-6)
COACH: Fran McCaffery, five years at Siena, third year in NCAA Tournament
HOW THEY GOT IN: Automatic bid (MAAC)
MATCHUP BREAKDOWN: Purdue was once the No. 3 team in the country and was clearly under consideration for one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament back then. That was until, in late February, forward Robbie Hummel (15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds per game) was lost to a season-ending knee injury. Purdue won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title but was blown away by Minnesota in the semifinals of the league tournament. Purdue scored 11 points in the first half of that game. There should be no question about Siena's ability to match the wares of a Big Ten team -- remember Ohio State "onions, double order!" -- especially one entering the Dance with a decided limp. The Boilermakers still have talent, led by 6-foot-4 G E'Twaun Moore (16.6 points per game) and big man JaJuan Johnson (15.2/7.1). Johnson will be a challenge for the Siena inside game, but losing Hummel brings Purdue much closer to the Saints' talent level.
GO-TO GUYS: F Alex Franklin was the MAAC Player of the Year and then earned MVP honors in the league tournament. He averaged 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, but he has all kind of help on a balanced team that includes the national assist leader, G Ronald Moore. G Edwin Ubiles averaged 15.2 points per game, while F Ryan Rossiter is a double-double machine (13.9 points, 11.1 rebounds) and G Clarence Jackson scored at a 13.6-points-per-game clip. In other words, McCaffery has plenty of guys to help out.
THEY'LL KEEP WINNING IF: They find their groove at the right time. The Saints went into the last two NCAA tournaments as a No. 13 and then a No. 9 seed and scored first-round wins each time. They faltered against good teams this year, and that is likely to lower their seed, but they'll likely need a decent draw to make noise again. These guys were good this season, but they were supposed to better, even struggling at home in winning the MAAC tournament. Is this the time for their best basketball?
STRENGTHS: Start with McCaffery, who is 112-50 in five years and is being mentioned for other coaching jobs, including St. John's. Siena's roster deep and talented, a team that can beat you in many ways and has NCAA Tournament experience. The Saints pass the ball, they steal it from you, they score, they defend. The depth in a starting lineup with four players averaging 13.6 points per game or more is impressive. From top to bottom, the Saints are a very good mid-major team.
WEAKNESSES: Jackson is the 3-point shooter, but he can go cold at the drop of a hat, which he did in two of the three MAAC tournament games. The Saints were just sixth in the 10-team MAAC in 3-point percentage and eighth in foul shooting. They also lost to all the good teams they played out of conference, and that's what an NCAA game calls for.
