Niagara vs Iona College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions 3/12/21

The Iona Gaels and Niagara Purple Eagles meet Friday in the college basketball MAAC Semifinal at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

The Iona Gaels look to build on their four-game winning streak. The Iona Gaels are averaging 74.7 points on 45.3 percent shooting and allowing 69.7 points on 41.4 percent shooting. Isaiah Ross is averaging 19.7 points and 3.5 rebounds while Asante Gist is averaging 12.5 points and 1.8 rebounds. Nelly Junior Joseph is the third double-digit scorer and Berrick JeanLouis is grabbing 5.7 rebounds. The Iona Gaels are shooting 35.9 percent from beyond the arc and 74.5 percent from the free throw line. The Iona Gaels are allowing 31.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.4 rebounds per game.

The Niagara Purple Eagles look for another win after beating Marist on Thursday. The Niagara Purple Eagles are averaging 64.6 points on 41.1 percent shooting and allowing 65.1 points on 42.6 percent shooting. Kobi Nwandu is averaging 14.5 points and 2.7 assists while Marcus Hammond is averaging 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds. Justin Roberts is grabbing three rebounds and Jordan Cintron is grabbing 3.7 rebounds. The Niagara Purple Eagles are shooting 32.3 percent from beyond the arc and 70.6 percent from the free throw line. The Niagara Purple Eagles are allowing 33.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 28.5 rebounds per game.

The Gaels are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The Purple Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Friday games and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The under is 4-0 in Gaels last 4 neutral site games. The over is 4-1 in Purple Eagles last 5 neutral site games. The underdog is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

The Niagara Purple Eagles looked good yesterday and have the defense to hang around in this game, but Iona comes into this tournament hot and rested. In their last five games, the Iona Gaels are winning by an average of 10.2 points while allowing 37.6 percent shooting from the field. Iona has also covered every game during their four-game winning streak. Not eager to step in front of the Gaels right now. I’ll lay the reasonable chalk.