Marist Red Foxes (13-19) vs. Iona Gaels (26-7)
March 11, 2023 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Iona Gaels -14 / Marist Red Foxes +14; Over/Under: +136.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Marist Red Foxes and Iona Gaels meet Saturday in the college basketball MAAC Tournament Final at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Marist Red Foxes are averaging 63.8 points on 41.2 percent shooting and allowing 67.6 points on 42.5 percent shooting. Patrick Gardner is averaging 19 points and 1.9 assists, while Noah Harris is averaging 8.9 points and 2.3 rebounds. Kam Farris is grabbing 2.4 rebounds and Isaiah Brickner is dishing 2.7 assists. The Marist Red Foxes are shooting 32.4 percent from beyond the arc and 69 percent from the free throw line. The Marist Red Foxes are allowing 37 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 30.9 rebounds per game.
The Iona Gaels are averaging 76.6 points on 46.1 percent shooting and allowing 65.9 points on 41.1 percent shooting. Walter Clayton Jr. is averaging 16.7 points and 4.1 rebounds, while Daniss Jenkins is averaging 15.3 points and 4.4 rebounds. Nelly Junior Joseph is the third double-digit scorer and Quinn Slazinski is grabbing 5.7 rebounds. The Iona Gaels are shooting 35.8 percent from beyond the arc and 72.8 percent from the free throw line. The Iona Gaels are allowing 29.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.5 rebounds per game.
The Red Foxes are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Gaels are 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 neutral site games and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The over is 9-3 in Red Foxes last 12 overall. The under is 5-2 in Gaels last 7 neutral site games. The underdog is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
The Iona Gaels are obviously the better team as they’ve beaten teams into the ground all year and that includes two games against Marist. However, the Marist Red Foxes have shown some heart just to get to this game, and I doubt they fold that easily with a spot on the big dance on the line. Marist is playing some of its best defense right now, and there are 4 seniors with a chance at a story book ending. Give me the boatload of points, as the Red Foxes should keep fighting.
