Iona vs Siena Odds, Lines and Spread (Feb. 11)

• Iona is an 8.5-point favorite over Siena on Friday
• Siena is 7-4 straight up and ATS in its last 11
• Read below for analysis and a betting prediction on the Iona vs Siena odds

Iona (19-4, 11-1 Metro Atlantic) is an 8.5-point road favorite over Siena in a MAAC game Friday at 9 pm ET on EPSNU. The Gaels had an eight-game winning streak broken in an 80-71 loss at Niagara the last time out Sunday.

Siena (10-9, 7-4 Metro Atlantic) suffered a 74-57 loss at Iona in the first meeting this season Jan. 25 in New Rochelle, N.Y.

Iona vs Siena Odds

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook on Feb. 10.

Iona is an 8.5-point favorite over Siena with the total set at 140.5, the second-highest number Siena has seen this season. Iona is -450 on the moneyline, which means it has an 81.8% implied win probability. At +340 on the moneyline, Siena has a 22.8% implied win probability.

The Gaels have the best NCAA Tournament title odds among MAAC teams, but at +32500, no one is penciling Rick Pitino’s squad into the Final Four just yet.

Gaels Dominate Game 1

The Gales had a season-high 11 blocked shots and controlled the paint in their 74-57 victory over Siena on Jan. 25, when they limited the Saints to 37.3 percent shooting from the floor and had a 42-37 rebounding edge.

https://youtu.be/75U7G1AdjzA

Iona has three of the top 15 scorers in the MACC — senior guard 6’4 Tyson Jolly (14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds) sophomore forward Nelly Junior Joseph (13.6 points, 8;.0 rebounds) and senior guard 6’3 Elijah Joiner (11.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.0 assists).

Junior Joseph had 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots in the first meeting, and Jolly had 12 points and three blocks.

Siena transfer guard 6’5 Colby Rogers (14.6) leads the Saints in scoring, with senior guard Anthony Gaines (10.2, 6.8 rebounds) and forward Jackson Stromo (10.7, 7.0) behind.

3 new teams in the latest Mid-Major Top 25®

The entire Top 25: https://t.co/bM3IUt1AdK pic.twitter.com/Uoi5ccbDre

— College Insider Inc. (@collegeinsider) February 8, 2022

Rogers had 17 points and five threes at Iona, but the Gaels held Gaines and Stromo to five points on five field goal attempts, although Gaines did have eight rebounds.

Iona Last Time Out

Iona could not hold an eight-point first half lead and succumbed to a 16-3 Niagara run in the second half in their first MAAC loss, 80-71 loss to the Purple Eagles on Sunday.

Joiner had 22 points and a career-high five threes after missing the Friday victory at Canisius with an illness. The Gaels pulled within three points when Louisville transfer 6’8 Quinn Slazinski (8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds) had a four-point play with 58 seconds remaining remaining but missed their last four field-goal attempts.

2H 1:41: #Niagara 71, #ICMBB 68

Slazinski cuts deficit to 3 on a four point play.

Timeout Niagara, their ball.

📺: @ESPNPlus | #MAACHoops | #GaelNation pic.twitter.com/3Zn8mOUTzC

— Iona Men’s Basketball (@IonaGaelsMBB) February 6, 2022

Siena Last Time Out

The Saints tuned up for the rematch with a xx-xx victory at Fairfield, its fourth win in five games.

Gaines had 15 points and eight rebounds and Cal Poly transfer Rogers had 12, including a jumper in the final minute late in the shot clock that pushed the Saints’ lead to three.

CLUTCH COLBY❗️ @_colbyrogers encircles the lane, and hits the HUGE step back to put us back up 3 in the final minute

📺 WATCH on #ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/wYcKci0GY1 #MarchOn pic.twitter.com/z73Y5r9qC3

— Siena Basketball (@SienaMBB) February 6, 2022

Rogers has the green light from distance — he is averaging 6.3 three-point attempts and 2.7 makes per game, and is shooting 42.5 percent, which ranks 48th in Division I.

Iona vs Siena Head-to-Head Results

Iona has won and covered the last two in the series and is 4-2 straight up and 5-1ATS in the last six meetings, including the lopsided home victory earlier this season.

The Gaels eliminated Iona in the 2021 and 2019 last MAAC tournaments, last season’s the most stinging. Siena won the 2021 regular season title but lost to the ninth-seeded Gaels 55-52 in the quarterfinals last season. Iona, seeded that low because it played only nine league games because of a Covid pause, won the tournament.

The Saints are 2-1 straight up and ATS in the last three at home, and their 2017 home victory stopped Iona’s eight-game road winning streak. Iona is 8-2, 7-3 ATS in the last 10 at Siena.

Betting Trends

Iona is 8-1 straight up and 3-6 ATS in its last nine. The Gaels are 1-4 in their last five MAAC road games and covered neither of the previous two games on a three-game trip that concludes Friday. Iona is 1-5 as a road favorite.

Siena is 4-1 straight up and ATS since its loss at Iona on Jan. 25, with four of those at home.

Iona’s Tough Slate

Rick Pitino scheduled up this season, and the Gaels have made it work. Iona has played KenPom’s 35th most difficult nonconference schedule in Division I, and they are ranked higher than Texas A&M, Rutgers and Richmond in adjusted efficiency margin.

Asked Rick Pitino his thoughts winning at Louisville compared to Iona:

“It’s not challenging at all. You can recruit the greatest players, period, in the country. It’s tough to win at Canisius and Iona, it’s not tough to win at Louisville.”

— Aidan Joly (@ByAidanJoly) February 5, 2022

The Gaels have won and covered against Atlantic Sun leader Liberty, Sun Belt leader Appalachian State and Ivy League leader Yale. Their first three losses were to Belmont, No. 8 Kansas and St. Louis, and they covered the latter two. They won and covered at Alabama.

Iona begins a stretch of three games in five days at Siena. The next two will be against first-division teams Monmouth (7-5 MAAC)  at home Sunday and at St. Peter’s (9-3 MAAC) on Tuesday.

Iona vs Siena Prediction

It is safe to safe to say Iona was looking past Niagara to this one, but that does not change the fact that the oddsmakers have over-valued the Gaels recently based on their early work. These teams traditionally are in the running for the MAAC title and NCAA berth, which gives the rivalry an added edge. Look for rematch to be much closer than the first meeting.

The pick: Siena +8.5 (-110)

Note to New York bettors: if you are looking for this game at one of the newly legalized New York sportsbooks, you won’t find it. Betting on in-state college games is banned by New York law.