The Quinnipiac Bobcats Need A Win On Friday!
The Road Team Has The Value After Looking At The Quinnipiac vs Iona Odds
The Quinnipiac Bobcats are running out of gas down the stretch.
The Bobcats began MAAC play 11-1. But they’ve since dropped four straight after announcing the extension of head coach Tom Pecora.
Quinnipiac was comfortable in first place in the MAAC. However, they’ve fallen into second place behind Fairfield, sitting at 11-5 in conference play. Fairfield is 12-5.
The Bobcats will look to get back to their winning ways against an Iona Gaels team that has probably underperformed this year. Nobody knew what to expect from Iona after last year’s success. Rick Pitino left, and Tobin Anderson came in after his Cinderella run with Fairleigh Dickinson.
Anderson and Iona are 8-8 in conference play and actually below .500 for the season, sitting at 13-14. The Gaels have lost three straight games and are in jeopardy of closing out the season with a poor record.
Which ice-cold squad will get back into the win column in this MAAC thriller?
Oddsmakers like Iona to escape Quinnipiac at home. Iona is currently a -2.5 favorite, with a total of up to 153, although the Over is juiced to -115.
Here’s a deeper dive into the Quinnipiac vs Iona odds for this MAAC game.
Quinnipiac Bobcats vs Iona Gaels 
Location: Hynes Athletics Center, New Rochelle, NY
Day/Time:
Streaming: ESPN+
Quinnipiac vs Iona Odds & Trends
The Quinnipiac Bobcats are still looking for win No. 20. Iona is 19-8 straight up and 14-11-1 against the spread this year. While the Bobcats are 11-3 at home, they’ve only gone 8-5 on the road this season.
On the other hand, Iona is 12-15 against the spread and 8-4 at home this season.
Both NCAAB teams have hit the Under in a few more games than the Over. While that could mean the Under is in play, on January 21, Quinnipiac escaped Iona, 91-87, as one-point favorites. The total was 148 and easily got Over.
Quinnipiac’s Four-Game Losing Skid
The Bobcats couldn’t be stopped. From January 5 through February 8, the Bobcats didn’t lose a single game. Instead, Quinnipiac put together nine consecutive wins and easily looked like the best team in the conference.
While many of those wins were close, the Bobcats found ways to win. That’s really all that mattered.
But once February 10 rolled around, the Bobcats forgot how to win. They’ve lost four straight games and even lost a matchup against Fairfield on ESPNU in front of a national audience during a rivalry game at home.
The Bobcats will likely be favored in just two of their remaining four NCAAB games. They likely need to earn at least one upset and close out the games they’re expected to win if they want to win the MAAC regular season title.
Iona Practically Needs To Win the MAAC Championship
At 13-14 on the season and with an 8-8 conference record, the Iona Gaels won’t have a chance at making the NCAA Tournament this season.
It’s been a disappointing first season for Tobin Anderson and the Gaels. But patience is a virtue, after all.
The only way for the Gaels to make the NCAA Tournament is by winning the MAAC Tournament Championship for an automatic bid.
Lucky for Iona, the Gaels have someone who has already been in the NCAA Tournament and knows how to coach in a tournament setting with success. Every game Iona plays in the regular season is just about getting better and being prepared for the Tournament at this point.
Someone’s Got To Win!
The Iona Gaels have been very inconsistent this season.
We’ll start with the offense. Iona has shot 35.1% from three but only 48.2% from inside the arc. The Gaels should have success from downtown against a Quinnipiac defense that has allowed 34.6% from three. However, inside the arc, it’ll be a challenge.
The Bobcats have held teams to 48.7% from inside the arc this season.
On top of that, Iona has hit only 65.7% from the foul line and doesn’t even get to the foul line very often.
To make things worse, the Gaels foul at a very high rate and send other teams to the foul line a lot. That’s part of the reason why Iona is below .500 this season.
Meanwhile, Quinnipiac has shot 77.8% from the foul line and has earned 30.6% of offensive rebounds. The Bobcats will see the foul line more and should have better-quality looks in this game.
After all, Iona has allowed a 52.9% effective field goal percentage and has given up 34.4% from three and 53.7% from inside the arc.
The Gaels are worse at defending two-pointers, an area where the Bobcats struggle, too. Still, the Bobcats have the upper hand, knowing they’ll be more aggressive around the rim for offensive rebounds and second chances.
Many defensive possessions for Iona are either turnovers or fouls. However, the Bobcats have only turned the ball over 17.1% of the time. As long as Quinnipiac is smart with the basketball and limits turnovers with good positioning and communication, the Bobcats should win this game.
The Bobcats are much higher in the NCAA basketball rankings in the MAAC. They’ve earned more wins when looking at the NCAAB scores.
While no team in the MAAC is a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, the March Madness odds certainly favor the Bobcats over the Gaels.
Therefore, after checking over the Quinnipiac vs Iona odds, we’ll roll with the Bobcats on the road to end their four-game losing streak. Let’s just play it safe and grab the Bobcats against the spread at +2.5 (-110).
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