The MAAC conference doesn’t get a ton of attention outside of NYC and a few other hot spots along the eastern seaboard. But the conference does feature a nice amount of talent, and Friday night will put two 6-2 squads on display against one another when Quinnipiac travels to Iona to take on the Gaels.
These two first met on January 6 up in Connecticut. That game saw the Bobcats open up a 31-10 lead early and they never looked back from there. Iona slowly crept back into the game but never had a realistic chance of winning.
Quinnipiac got the line a whopping 35 times that night and also pulled down 20 offensive rebounds. For Iona, those issues have really been their achilles heel all year. They feature one of the worst defenses in America. They also rank only 329 in defensive rebounding efficiency.
The Gaels do have a top ten offense thanks to the trio of A.J. English, Sean Armand and David Laury. Rutgers transfer Mike Poole has also come in recent weeks to become a more stabilizing force within the rotation.
Iona is currently a 6/6.5 point favorite heading into this game. Given what their offense is capable of, that number is not unfair. Quinnipiac’s success in the first match-up has to be taken with a grain of salt given that they too have a downright terrible defense to some extent.
Situationally speaking, this is not only a revenge spot for Iona, but it also comes with Manhattan on deck for the Bobcats. All of that does indeed favor the Gaels here, and you have to think this senior laden group will be intent upon grabbing a much needed win at home.
The value on this game is limited from a betting perspective, but if you are looking for some Friday night hoops, this should be a great game to check out. Both of these teams have a ton of offensive talent and could be a tough out during the conference tournament. Should either get to the NCAA’s, they could make for a difficult match-up given what they enjoy doing on offense.
