The No.13-seeded Iona Gaels play the No.4-seeded Iowa State Cyclones in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Pepsi Center. The game starts at 2:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 17 and will air on TBS.
The Cyclones are hoping for a better outcome after their 79-76 loss to Oklahoma in the 2 of the Big 12 tournament. Georges Niang was the team’s leading scorer with 31 points. The Gaels, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-76 win against Monmouth in the 4 of the Metro Atlantic Athletic tournament. Isaiah Williams played well for Iona, accounting for 17 points, five rebounds, and one block.
Based on historical performance heading into this one, ball security could play a key role in the matchup. Iowa State commits the 16th-fewest miscues in the nation (TO% of 16.1%), while Iona’s pesky defense causes the 23rd-most (opponents’ TO% of 19.6%). Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Gaels. They are 283rd in the nation in FTA rate (32.5), while the Cyclones are among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 24.2, ranking third in the country).
The Cyclones enter the game with records of 21-11 Straight Up (SU) and 15-13-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Iowa State, which ranks 28th at 1.43.
Over on the other bench, the Gaels head into the game with records of 16-15 ATS and 22-10 SU. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Gaels. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.32.
Iowa State and Iona have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iona, ATS Winner – Iona
Notes
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Iowa State’s last 9 games “.
In its last game, Iona won by a margin of three points. Iowa State is 2-4 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Iona has a 1-1 record in close games.
The Iona Gaels rank 68th for their offensive rating of 111.0. The Iowa State Cyclones have a defensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 61st).
The Iowa State Cyclones have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the nation with a FG% of 50.2%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Iona Gaels are winless with a 0-5 record.
The Iowa State Cyclones rank higher based on their field goal percentage (second) than their effective field goal percentage (sixth). The Iona Gaels rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (33rd) than their field goal percentage (96th).
Iowa State ranks among the best in the nation in assists at 23rd (16.5 assists per game). Iona is ranked 15th with 16.8 assists per game.
Iowa State ranks 81st in blocks per game with 4.2 and Iona ranks 87th with 4.1 blocks per game.
Iona ranks 184th in offensive rebounds, while Iowa State ranks at 63rd in defensive rebounds.
Iona averages a forced turnover rate of 19.6% this season, ranked 23rd in the nation. Iowa State has a 3-4 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
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