The Siena Saints (9-4, 2-0 MAAC) will travel to New Rochelle to take on the Iona Gaels (9-5, 1-2 MAAC) on Friday night in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. Both teams have been on the road of late, with Iona returning home to try to get back into the win column here. Siena remains on the road, but will just be glad to not be facing a team as good as they did in their last outing. Before tip-off in the MAAC, continue reading to find my Siena vs Iona prediction.
Pick: | Iona -1.5 |
Confidence: | 4/5 |
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Siena enters this game in the middle of a very good defensive season, allowing 64.5 points per game while scoring 69.5. They are led by guard Gavin Doty’s 14.8 points per contest. The Saints are coming off a loss to the Indiana Hoosiers out of the Big Ten and lost on the road in their game prior to that against the Vermont Catamounts. There is no shame in losing to either of those programs, but the Saints will try to bounce back here.
Iona has a more prolific offense, averaging 78.9 points per game. Guard C.J. Anthony leads the Gaels with 16.0 points per outing and contributes playmaking as well. Iona’s ability to push tempo and convert in transition gives them a scoring edge. But the question for the Gaels will be on the defensive end of the floor. Recent losses have been the result of defensive lapses that could keep this game close, despite Iona's home-court advantage in New Rochelle.
It will be worth watching how Iona's Lamin Sabally performs in this contest. Sabally leads the Gaels in rebounding with 8.1 boards per game and he could have a big night on the glass against a Saints team that averages under 35 rebounds per game as a team. He is also the brother of WNBA players Satou and Nyara Sabally, with basketball clearly running in the family.
Score Projection: Siena 71 – Iona 74
Win Probability: Siena 45%, Iona 55%
This could end up being a preview of this year's MAAC championship game, as both of these teams have looked very good at times. As for this game, I give the edge to the Iona Gaels at home. Iona is 4-1 at home so far this season and they should continue to have success by controlling the glass in this matchup.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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