The Iona Gaels (9-8) welcome the Saint Peter’s Peacocks (8-8) in a matchup that pits the Metro Atlantic Athletic’s seventh-ranked offense against the seventh-ranked defense. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 22.
The Gaels were beaten by Rider 79-75 in their last game. A.J. English finished with 27 points to lead the game. The Peacocks are coming off a 77-71 win over Fairfield in their last outing. Trevis Wyche stood out for Saint Peter’s, recording 20 points, four assists, and three rebounds.
Over the last five games, Wyche has been on a tear for the Peacocks. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers.
Iona, an eight-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Saint Peter’s. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 147 points. The Gaels enter the game with records of 9-8 Straight Up (SU) and 5-11 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 2-8 ATS over their last 10 games. Iona is excellent from the perimeter with 165 three-pointers made (9.0 per game), the 48th-most in the country.
On the other side, the Peacocks head into the game with records of 9-3 ATS and 8-8 SU.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, Saint Peter’s came out on top, but Iona still leads the head-to-head record, 7-3 SU, over their most recent matchups. At 5-5, they are even ATS. Iona and Saint Peter’s each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once in their last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iona, ATS Winner – Iona, O/U – Over
Notes
Iona is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
Iona is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
Iona is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home.
Iona is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Saint Peter’s.
Iona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Saint Peter’s.
Iona is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Saint Peter’s.
The Iona Gaels average 79.8 points per game, ranking 48th in the nation. The Saint Peter’s Peacocks rank 99th in points allowed with 67.7.
On average, Iona has 73.2 possessions per game and scores 1.090 points on each possession. Saint Peter’s has both fewer possessions (67.8) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.013).
The Iona Gaels average an effective field goal percentage of 53.0% this season. The Saint Peter’s Peacocks have a subpar record of 1-6 when opponents have an eFG% of 53.0% or greater.
Iona attempts an average of 26.0 three pointers per game and Saint Peter’s attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Iona Gaels have a 9-8 record while the Saint Peter’s Peacocks have a 4-5 record.
Iona ranks 81st in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23. Saint Peter’s is ranked lower at 273rd with an A/TO of .90.
Iona averages a forced turnover rate of 18.6% this season. Saint Peter’s has a 6-4 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
