Iona vs Manhattan 1/14/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Manhattan Jaspers and the Iona Gaels meet Friday in college basketball action from Hynes Athletic Center. Manhattan is 9-3 thus far on the season and coming off a tight win over the Citadel. As for Iona, they’re sitting at 12-3 on the year. The Gaels beat Fairfield in their last outing. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Manhattan posted a 6-3 run over their first nine games this year. The Jaspers lost to Old Dominion, Quinnipiac and Utah during that stretch. Over the last two games, the Jaspers have picked up wins over Charleston Southern and the Citadel. 

Back on December 21 versus the Citadel, Manhattan was down 40-34 at halftime. The Jaspers surged on a 43-34 run from there in a 77-74 comeback win. Lead scorer Anthony Nelson put up 20 points with five rebounds, and Jose Perez added 18 points. 

Over on the Iona side, they kicked off the season on an 11-2 stretch. The only losses were in late November to Belmont and Kansas. The Gaels fell against Saint Louis by one point last weekend but bounced back with a Tuesday win over Fairfield. 

Matched up against Fairfield, the Gaels took a 43-37 deficit into the break. The Gaels scored 43 points in the second half to complete an 80-76 comeback win. Tops on the team was Nelly Junior Joseph with 20 points and 14 rebounds in 36 minutes of work. 

The Gaels are 6-1 ATS in the last seven at home and 17-6-3 ATS in their last 26 Friday games. Iona is 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 overall. 

Meanwhile, the Jaspers are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five Friday games and 4-1 ATS in the last five road games. The over is 7-0 in Manhattan’s last seven overall. 

PICK: I’m going to take a stab on Manhattan here but staying away. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Jaspers in action so it’s tough to know what they’ll look like. That said, Manhattan has scored pretty well over their last seven games, with 73 or more points in six of those. Considering Iona has played it very tight over their last three games—each decided by four or fewer points—I think the Jaspers can get in there on a cover. Should be an interesting matchup.