Metro Atlantic Athletic foes will clash when the Iona Gaels (14-10) face off against the Quinnipiac Bobcats (8-16) at Hynes Athletics Center. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 15.
The Gaels lost a tough one against Siena 81-78 on Saturday. A.J. English was the game’s high scorer, finishing with 31 points. The Bobcats, meanwhile, are coming off an 84-80 loss to Fairfield on Saturday. Chaise Daniels led the game in scoring with 28 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Gaels won the first game 78-66. Jordan Washington recorded a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
The Gaels enter the game with records of 14-9 Straight Up (SU) and 9-13 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS. The Gaels have no trouble scoring as they rank 44th in the nation in offense with 78.9 points per game. Iona has the 26th-most assists in Division I, averaging 16.5 per game. Iona’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 68.4 during that span, compared to its 74.9 season average. The Gaels are 47th in the country in steals with 7.6 per game.
On the other side, the Bobcats have records of 6-13 ATS and 8-16 SU. Offensively, the Bobcats have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 66.5 points per game by averaging 80.4 during that stretch. The Bobcats have controlled the glass with a Division I-best 45.0 rebounds per game.
The Gaels’ win over Quinnipiac in their last game bumped their SU record to 4-2 over Quinnipiac in their most recent meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 3-3. In these last five matchups, Iona held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice, with Quinnipiac controlling all three of these areas once.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iona, ATS Winner – Iona
Notes
Iona averages 78.9 points per game (ranked 44th). Quinnipiac, on the other hand, allows 71.0 points per game (ranked 130th).
Ranked 97th, the Iona Gaels have an offensive rating of 109.4. The Quinnipiac Bobcats rank 120th with a defensive rating of just 100.7.
The Iona Gaels average a field goal percentage of 44.8% this season. The Quinnipiac Bobcats are a winless 0-6 when opponents have a FG% of 44.8% or greater.
On average, the Iona Gaels attempt 26.0 three point field goals per game and the Quinnipiac Bobcats attempt 22.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Iona is 14-10, while Quinnipiac has a poor record of 4-12.
Iona ranks 56th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.27. Quinnipiac is ranked lower at 315th with an A/TO of .82.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats are the best rebounding team in the nation with 45.0 rebounds per game. The Iona Gaels rank 144th, rebounding 37.0 times per game.
The Iona Gaels are one of the least effective defensive rebounding teams (ranking 113th), while the Quinnipiac Bobcats are the nation’s best offensive rebounding team.
Iona has forced an average turnover percentage of 19.1% this season. Quinnipiac has an underachieving 5-13 record when its TO% is 19.1% or higher.
