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The No. 4 UConn Huskies (25-8) and the No. 13 Iona Gaels (27-7) square off on Friday to compete for a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The first round matchup tips off at 4:30 PM.
Friday’s matchup between the Huskies and the Gaels features the Huskies as healthy 9-point favorites. The matchup’s point total is 141.5.
UConn vs. Iona Odds
Point Spread for UConn vs. Iona
The spread for this matchup is set at 9 points, with sportsbooks listing UConn as the favorite.
UConn vs. Iona Moneyline
As for the moneyline, UConn has -460 odds to pick up the win, while Iona is listed at +351 to claim victory.
Over/Under
Finally, the over/under for the game is set at 141.5 points.
Game Time and How to Watch
- Game Day: Friday, March 17, 2023
- Game Time: 4:30 PM ET
- TV Channel: TBS
- Location: Albany, New York
- Arena: MVP Arena
UConn vs. Iona Betting Trends
Against the spread, UConn is 20-12-0 this season. The Huskies have won in 21, or 75%, of the 28 contests they have been named as odds-on favorites in this year. UConn’s games this year have gone over the point total 52.9% of the time (18 out of 34 games with a set point total).
In Iona’s 34 games this year, it has 20 wins against the spread. The Gaels have been the moneyline underdog just two other times so far this season, and they split the games. Iona’s games this year have gone over the total in 15 of 34 opportunities (44.1%).
UConn vs. Iona Key Players to Watch
UConn
Adama Sanogo leads the Huskies with 16.8 points per game and 7.3 rebounds, while also putting up 1.3 assists. Tristen Newton puts up a team-leading 4.6 assists per game. He is also posting 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds, shooting 37.6% from the floor and 36.2% from beyond the arc with 1.2 made 3-pointers per contest. Jordan Hawkins is averaging 16.1 points, 1.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Andre Jackson averages 6.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest, shooting 41.8% from the field.
Iona
Nelly Junior Joseph leads the Gaels in rebounding (9.4 per game), and produces 15.1 points and 1.1 assists. He also posts 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocked shots. Daniss Jenkins is the Gaels’ top assist man (4.9 per game), and he posts 15.6 points and 4.4 rebounds. Walter Clayton Jr. is averaging team highs in points (16.9 per game) and assists (3.2). And he is producing 4.3 rebounds, making 45.6% of his shots from the floor and 42.9% from beyond the arc, with 2.2 triples per game. Osborn Shema gets the Gaels 7.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. He also puts up 0.7 steals and 1.3 blocked shots.
What you need to know about the UConn Huskies
Offensively, the Huskies are scoring 78.5 points per game (31st-ranked in college basketball). They are surrendering 65 points per contest on defense (41st-ranked). UConn is playing well in terms of rebounding, as it ranks 13th-best in college basketball in boards (35.9 per game) and fourth-best in boards allowed (26.2 per contest).
UConn is sinking 9 threes per game (34th-ranked in college basketball). It has a 35.7% shooting percentage (94th-ranked) from three-point land. The Huskies are playing well in terms of defending against three-pointers, as they rank second-best in college basketball in three-pointers allowed (4.9 per game) and 15th-best in three-point percentage allowed (30%).
The Huskies have a 7-3 record against the spread while going 8-2 overall in their last 10 contests. Three of UConn’s past 10 contests have hit the over. UConn has been putting up 75.4 points per contest in its last 10 times on the court, an average that’s a little lower than the 78.5 it has scored over the course of the 2022-23 season. UConn has been a little suspect on the defensive end of the floor of late, giving up 65.4 points per game over its last 10 outings compared to the 65 it has conceded this year.
What you need to know about the Iona Gaels
At 76.4 points scored per game and 65 points allowed, the Gaels are 67th in the country on offense and 41st on defense. With 33.4 rebounds per game and 30.9 rebounds allowed, Iona is 81st and 166th in college basketball, respectively.
Iona is 212th in college basketball in 3-pointers made (7.1 per game) and 82nd in 3-point percentage (36%). The Gaels are the 24th-best squad in the nation in 3-pointers conceded (5.8 per game) and eighth-best in 3-point percentage defensively (29.2%).
The Gaels are 7-3 against the spread and 10-0 overall in their past 10 games. Iona has gone over the total in four of its last 10 games. Iona is posting 78.3 points per contest over its previous 10 games, compared to its season average of 76.4. The Gaels have played better defensively over their previous 10 games, giving up 61.6 points per contest, 3.4 fewer points than their season average of 65 allowed.
UConn vs. Iona Prediction & Pick
Our pick to win this contest is UConn, and we project that Iona will cover the spread (UConn -9). Finally, we see the scoring in this one going over the posted total of 141.5 points.
How to bet UConn vs. Iona
You can bet on UConn vs. Iona at every legal online sportsbook. For more college basketball odds, including moneylines, spreads, over/under totals, check out the latest NCAA lines as well as our guide to the best college basketball betting sites.
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