Iona vs Delaware 12/21/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (9-3) vs. Iona Gaels (9-2)
December 21, 2021 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Iona Gaels -5.5 ; Over/Under: 143
(Get latest betting odds)
The Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens and the Iona Gaels meet Tuesday in college basketball action from UBS Arena. Delaware is 9-3 on the year so far. The Hens beat Moravian in their last outing. As for Iona, they sit at 9-2 this season and are coming off a win over Yale. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Delaware went 4-3 over their first seven outings, notching losses to Davidson, Oakland and Temple. Since then it’s been a 5-0 run for the Hens with wins over LIU, Delaware State, UMBC, Lafayette and Moravian in that stretch.
Back on December 10 versus Moravian, the Hens scored 51 points in the first half and 43 more after the break in a 94-55 blowout win. Dylan Painter doubled up with 18 points and 14 boards, and Jameer Nelson added 17 points with five assists.
Over on the Iona side, they started on a 6-0 run this year, culminating in a win over Alabama. The Gaels lost to Belmont and Kansas in the next pair, then beat Marist, Rider and Yale in succession over their next trio.
In the Yale game on December 12, Iona scored 47 points in the first half and finished on a 44-40 run in a 91-77 victory. Tyson Jolly was the high man on 21 points and seven rebounds. Nelly Junior Joseph added a double-double on 15 points and 10 boards.
The Gaels are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 neutral-site games and 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 overall. The under is 12-5 in Iona’s last 17 neutral-site games.
Meanwhile, the Hens are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 neutral-site games and the under is 4-0 in their last four overall. The over is 4-0 in Delaware’s last four neutral-site games.
PICK: I’m going to try Iona. We should have a solid matchup on our hands regardless, though. The Gaels ran into a little trouble in their two games after the Alabama upset, but since then they’ve leveled things off. Iona has scored 78 or more points in each of the last four games and their offense is clicking well.
As for Delaware, they’ve been doing it with defense lately, holding opponents to 67 points or fewer in each of the last five games. I don’t think the Hens will be able to hold the Iona offense at bay however, so the Gaels seem to make more sense on a cover.
