The MAAC champion Iona Gaels take on the Big East's UConn Huskies in the first round of March Madness. Here is our best Iona vs. UConn prediction based on the top NCAAB odds.
The Gaels have won 14 consecutive games heading into the NCAA Tournament. During that span, only three of their games were decided by single digits. Though most of the narrative surrounding this team involves head coach Rick Pitino and whether or not he will stay with the program beyond this year, do not overlook this team and its potential for an upset.
Meanwhile, the Huskies are a trendy Final Four pick, despite being a No. 4 seed. The Huskies are one of just a handful of teams to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide this season. They ended the regular-season winning nine of their last 11 games, including victories over the Marquette Golden Eagles and Providence Friars.
Here is our best Iona vs. UConn prediction (odds via Caesars Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Iona vs. UConn odds
Iona vs. UConn prediction
These are two very efficient offensive teams. The Huskies rank 10th in the country in offensive efficiency, while the Gales rank 32nd. Despite the Gaels being 15th in the country in defensive efficiency, we believe they're going to have a hard time slowing down the very effective Huskies' offense.
Though the Huskies have not scored more than 75 points in their last three games, they have had no trouble clearing 80 this season. They have done so 15 times this year, including in every single one of their non-Power 5 non-conference games. The Gaels did not play a difficult schedule during either their conference or nonconference slate, so we don't expect them to match up well with the Huskies' offense at all.
Check out our March Madness best bets for Friday! Our Mike Spector went 3-1 on Thursday's games.
The reason we're staying away from the total for the game is that we don't know what to expect from the Gaels' offense. They are 43rd in the country in points per game, averaging 76.4 per contest. However, they have not faced a defense even remotely close to that of the Huskies all season.
Check out our best March Madness odds and Wooden Award odds.
Iona vs. UConn best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | Caesars | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 75.5 | Over 75.5 | Over 75.5 | Over 75.5 |
| -110 | -116 | -110 | -115 |
The four major sportsbooks that have this prop listed are all in agreement on the number. PointsBet and FanDuel are offering prices of -115 and -116, respectively, so there is no value in placing your wager at either of those books.
Both Caesars and DraftKings are offering the same total at the same price, so either one of them is a worthwhile place to bet.
Iona vs. UConn odds analysis
The Huskies opened at 8.5-point favorites, and the line has moved to -9 at most of the major sportsbooks as of Friday morning. This movement has taken place despite the Gaels actually receiving a slight majority of the support. Roughly 55% of bettors are expecting Iona to cover. With a relatively small split, it is unlikely this line moves very much.
The total for this game opened at 141.5, and there hasn& #39;t been much movement despite 55% of bettors backing the Over. In fact, the number has actually gone down at both DraftKings and PointsBet. Perhaps this signals that oddsmakers are not putting much thought into how the public is betting for this game.
Iona vs. UConn game info
- Date: Friday, March 17, 4:30 p.m.
- TV: TBS
- Location: MVP Arena, Albany, NY
Iona-UConn pick made 3/15/2023 at 1 p.m. ET.
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