Iona vs Canisius 2/25/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Canisius Golden Griffins will travel to the Haynes Athletics Center to take on the Iona Gaels this Friday night in College Basketball action.

The Canisius Golden Griffins lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 8-19 on the season after being defeated by the Niagara Purple Eagles, 65-54, this past Saturday. Canisius struggled on both ends of the court in the 1^st half against Niagara and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 33-21 margin. Canisius shot 37.0% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Niagara to shoot 43.8% from the field & 18.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Golden Griffins was Malek Green who had 12 points, 8 rebounds, & 2 assists in 27 minutes from off the bench.

On the season, Canisius is averaging 68.9 ppg on 40.3% shooting from the field. The Golden Griffins are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 31.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Canisius has been led by Armon Harried (11.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.5 apg), Jordan Henderson (11.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg), Malek Green (10.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg), & Ahamadou Fofana (9.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Canisius is allowing their opponents to an average of 72.1 ppg on 46.3% shooting from the field. The Golden Griffins have a rebound margin of -1.4 and a turnover margin of 1.0.

The Iona Gaels won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 22-5 on the season after defeating the Fairfield Stags, 76-58, this past Sunday. Iona dominated Fairfield on both ends of the court in the 2^nd half and easily pulled away after a 14-0 run gave Iona a 45-29 lead with 15:08 left in regulation. Iona shot 50.8% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc while holding Fairfield to just 35.8% shooting from the field & 31.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Gaels was Nelly Junior Joseph who had a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, & 3 steals.

On the season, Iona is averaging 75.9 ppg on 44.2% shooting from the field. The Gaels are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 33.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Iona has been led by Tyson Jolly (14.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.3 apg), Nelly Junior Joseph (13.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 2.0 bpg), Elijah Joiner (11.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.0 spg), & Dylan van Eyck (8.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.0 apg).

Defensively, Iona is allowing their opponents to average 68.6 ppg on 41.8% shooting from the field. The Gaels have a rebound margin of 2.1 and a turnover margin of 1.1.

The Golden Griffins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games, however, are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games at Iona. The Gales are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games & just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 February games.

Canisius has lost 7 of their last 8 games and have been below average on both ends of the court this season, ranking 235^th in scoring offense, 254^th in scoring defense, & 314^th in defensive FG%. Iona is the team to beat in the MAAC this season and have been solid on both ends of the court as the Gaels rank 64^th in scoring offense & 103^rd in defensive FG%. Canisius was competitive against Iona at home in a 70-62 loss, however, the Golden Griffins are 0-14 on the road and between the fact that the Gaels are a perfect 14-0 at home and should be able to dominate Canisius on both ends of the court, I think the Gaels win this one by around 20 points and cover this large spread. Good Luck!