The Iona Gaels (17-10) can extend a five-game road winning streak when they compete against the Manhattan Jaspers (12-15) at Draddy Gymnasium. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 26 and will air on ESU.
The Jaspers lost big to Saint Peter’s 61-40 on Tuesday. Calvin Crawford was the top performer for the Jaspers, contributing six points, six rebounds, and three blocks. The Gaels are coming off an 87-81 win over Siena on Monday. A.J. English led the game in scoring with 32 points on 10-for-20 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Gaels winning the first matchup 70-56. Isaiah Williams was a top performer in the victory with 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, and four three-pointers.
The Jaspers come into this game 12-15 Straight Up (SU) and 13-12 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-3). Manhattan has averaged 78.5 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 68.4. The Jaspers are an exceptional shooting team from the line with a .736 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Manhattan’s defenders rank 37th in Division I in steals with 7.7 per game.
On the other side, the Gaels have records of 12-14 ATS and 17-10 SU. Most recently, Iona is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. Offensively, they average 79.3 points per game, which is good for 37th in the country. The Gaels are one of the top teams in the country at finding the open man with an average of 16.6 assists per game. Shifting to the other side of the court, teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Gaels, who rank 46th in the nation with 7.6 steals per game.
With the Gaels’ last win against Manhattan, their SU record is now 6-4 over Manhattan in their most recent meetings. However, with a 6-4 record, Manhattan has the advantage ATS. Iona topped the Jaspers in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once over the last five matchups. Manhattan has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iona, ATS Winner – Iona
Notes
Iona averages 79.3 points per game (ranked 37th). Manhattan, on the other hand, allows 73.0 points per game (ranked 167th).
In its last game, Manhattan lost by a margin of 21 points. Iona is 4-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Manhattan has a 0-5 record in blowouts.
With 69.0 possessions and .991 points per possession, the Manhattan Jaspers perform worse on both metrics than the Iona Gaels. Iona averages 72.3 possessions and 1.097 points per possession.
The Manhattan Jaspers average an effective field goal percentage of 49.4% this season. The Iona Gaels have a poor record of 3-8 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.4% or greater.
The Manhattan Jaspers average 20.0 three point attempts per game and have a losing 7-12 record when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Iona Gaels average 26.0 attempts and have a solid 17-10 record when attempting 20 or more.
Iona ranks 61st in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.28. Manhattan is ranked lower at 233rd with an A/TO of .97.
Manhattan makes an average of 7.7 steals per game. When Iona gives up 7 or more steals, the team has an even 5-5 record.
