Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Super Bowl
Way back on December 2, the Iona Gaels (17-7, 13-11-0 ATS, 10-3 MAAC) and Niagara Purple Eagles (14-9, 13-9-0 ATS, 9-5 MAAC) played each other for the first time this season. Now that it's February, round two is upon us. Iona ran away with the first game, taking a 22-point lead into halftime and winning by as many at the end. The Gaels have won three of the last four against the Purple Eagles. Niagara gets to host this time, with a 1:00 p.m. EST tipoff scheduled in the Gallagher Center for this contest. Both teams are near the top of the MAAC standings, with Iona 1.5 games ahead of Niagara heading into this clash.
Iona is on a four-game win streak, one that has them sitting only 0.5 games out of first in the MAAC. The latest win was over Canisius, an 80-59 drubbing on the road. Iona shot 64.7% from the field and finished with 10 more rebounds than the Golden Griffins. Walter Clayton Jr.'s 19 points were a team-high in the game.
1H U8 (7:52): #Iona 26, #Canisius 17
Walt is ???? with 14 points in first 13 minutes including this three from Chippewa Street!#GaelNation #MAACHoops
??: #ESPN3 pic.twitter.com/GRoFmHbIFR— Iona Men's Basketball (@IonaGaelsMBB) February 11, 2023
The Gaels aren't currently in the NCAA tournament predictions, but are in an excellent position to win the MAAC tournament and earn an automatic bid. KenPom has Iona ranked at 78, well above the second-highest MAAC team, which is at 135. They are 4-4 on the road this season.
Iona plays at a high tempo, leading to a conference-best 75.6 points per game. Their 45.1% shooting from the field also leads the MAAC this season. However, they aren't the best from beyond the arc, ranking seventh in the conference at 33.2%.
Iona's defense is great at forcing misses. Opponents only hit 41.0% of shots against the Gaels, best in the conference and 47th nationally. On threes, foes are only knocking down 28.9%, second in the MAAC but 13th in the nation. Their 6.1 blocks per game lead the conference by a significant margin, and they are second in steals with 7.6 per game.
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