The Iona Gaels (15-10) and the Metro Atlantic Athletic’s first-ranked offense head to Monmouth to play the Hawks (22-5) and the top-ranked defense in the conference. Action starts at 10:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 19 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Hawks defeated Manhattan 79-70 on Monday. Micah Seaborn was the team’s high scorer with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting. The Gaels, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-59 win against Quinnipiac on Monday. Isaiah Williams claimed his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the first matchup 110-102. A.J. English had a standout performance with 45 points, two rebounds, three assists, seven steals, and six three-pointers in the loss.
The Hawks enter the game with records of 22-5 Straight Up (SU) and 16-9 Against The Spread (ATS). The Hawks have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 80.9 points per game. The Hawks are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .389 from beyond the arc. Turning to the defensive side, teams have to fight for open shots against the Hawks, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .390. The Hawks are 24th in the country in steals with 8.1 per game.
As for their opponent, the Gaels have records of 10-14 ATS and 15-10 SU. They sport the 43rd-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 78.9 points per game. Iona is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, making 9.0 shots from three-point range per game. Switching gears to the Iona defense, it averages 7.6 steals per game, good for 48th in the nation.
Following the Hawks’ latest win over Iona, Monmouth moved closer to evening up its record against Iona. It now stands at 2-4 SU over their most recent meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 3-3 record. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iona, ATS Winner – Iona
Notes
Monmouth is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 80.9 points per game (ranked 23rd). Iona, on the other hand, allows 74.3 points per game (ranked 191st).
Monmouth scores 80.6 points per home game (ranked 66th). Iona ranks a poor 177th in points allowed on the road, allowing 77.2 points.
Iona won its last game by a 19-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Monmouth is 3-0. Iona is 4-2 in blowouts this season.
The Iona Gaels rank 96th for their offensive rating of 109.5. The Monmouth Hawks have a defensive rating of 97.7 (ranked 58th).
Monmouth has an average field goal percentage of 44.8%. Iona is an abysmal 2-8 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Monmouth Hawks and the Iona Gaels both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Monmouth is 135th and 116th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Iona is 126th and 59th in these categories.
The Iona Gaels rank 23rd in assists per game, making an average of 16.6. The Monmouth Hawks are among the worst in the country with 12.5 assists per game (ranked 243rd).
Monmouth, the 82nd-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 38.3 rebounds per game. Iona does worse, ranked 133rd with 37.1.
Iona ranks 197th in offensive rebounds, while Monmouth ranks at 17th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Iona forces a turnover rate of 19.2%. When Monmouth turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a dazzling 8-1 record.
