It will be a battle between MAAC opponents when the Monmouth Hawks (5-12, 1-4 MAAC) welcome the Iona Gaels (11-7, 5-1 MAAC) to OceanFirst Bank Center. The game begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, January 19, 2018.
Iona is a 2-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 153 points.
Iona Gaels at Monmouth Hawks Betting Prediction
The Gaels come in on a high note after thoroughly outplaying the Rider Broncs in their last game, 91-64. Iona’s free throw rate was their biggest strength over Rider. The Gaels had a rate of 0.200 (below their season average of 0.211), while the Broncs posted a mark of 0.067 (below their season average of 0.258). Iona was lifted by Rickey McGill, who recorded 13 points and nine assists.
In the Hawks’ last matchup, they were beaten by the Canisius Golden Griffins, 94-79. Canisius’ rebounding was their biggest advantage. The Golden Griffins had more offensive rebounds (11 vs. six), defensive rebounds (27 vs. 24) and total rebounds (38 vs. 30). With 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting, Austin Tilghman led Monmouth in scoring.
The aggressive Monmouth offense might be living from the free throw line in this matchup. The Hawks currently rank 14th in the nation with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.311, while Iona ranks 121st in FTA rate allowed (0.212).
Iona heads into the contest with records of 11-7 straight up (SU) and 8-5-1 against the spread (ATS). Of the Gaels’ 14 games that accepted bets, eight have finished under the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Monmouth owns records of 5-12 SU and 5-8 ATS. Contrary to Iona, Hawks games have a tendency to go over the projected point total (61.5 percent).
McGill has averaged 15.8 points, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals over the last five games for Iona.
After the Hawks won both contests against the Gaels last season, these teams will meet for the first time this year. In the most recent contest, Monmouth won 79-73. One of Monmouth’s biggest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They had 30 free throw attempts, while Iona had 21.
Iona Gaels vs. Monmouth Hawks Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Iona, ATS Winner – Iona, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Iona is 5-3-1 ATS on the road with 5 overs and 4 unders.
Monmouth is 1-2 ATS at home with 3 overs and 0 unders.
Iona ranks 28th in three pointers attempted per game (27.0) while Monmouth ranks 248th (18.0).
The Gaels rank 43rd in assists per game (16.3) while the Hawks rank 201st (12.4).
Iona ranks 25th in steals allowed per game (5.1) while Monmouth ranks 158th (7.4).
The Hawks average 36.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 126th in the nation. The Gaels rank 193rd in rebounds allowed per game (36.8).
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, Iona is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Monmouth is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Gaels’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 9.0, up from 3.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Hawks have scored an average of 74.6 points per game (0.4 above their season average) and allowed an average of 78.6 points per game (0.8 above their season average).
