Many eyes in the college basketball world will be on Hynes Athletics Center Wednesday as host Iona looks to handle the Niagara Purple Eagles in NCAA hoops action.

The Gaels bring a 2-2 record (2-2 ATS) to this tilt against the 2-3 Purple Eagles, who are 0-2-1 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have witnessed Iona go 0-0 so far and the Purple Eagles go 0-0.



View Niagara vs Iona Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
On the Sportsbook NCAA basketball line for this matchup, Iona sat as 6.5-point favorites over at Sportsbook. Also, check out the current total, which often goes up first at online sportsbook Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Gaels at No. 294 and the Purple Eagles at No. 231 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 87-77 result in favor of the Gaels.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Iona's No. 15 nationally ranked offense (83 points per game) against a Purple Eagles defense that sits as the No. 344 at 84.4 PPG. The Gaels have been averaging 46.9% from the field, more than the Purple Eagles have managed so far this season (43.2% on average).

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Niagara owns the country's No. 344-rated mark, allowing 91 points per game on the highway. Iona, on the other hand, rates No. 45 in scoring at home.

Niagara lost its last outing, an 80-75 result against St. Bonaventure on November 24. They failed to cover in that game as a 3.5-point underdog. St. Bonaventure earned an 80-75 victory over Niagara on Saturday, getting 19 points from Chris Johnson at Blue Cross Arena.

Iona was an 86-81 loser in its last match at home against Illinois-Chicago. They failed to cover the 7.5-point spread as favorites. The Gaels endured an 86-81 loss at the hands of the Flames on Monday, despite a 22-point effort from Lamont Jones at Sports and Fitness Center.


Niagara Purple Eagles Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Central Michigan are 2-0
After playing St. Bonaventure are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4

Iona Gaels Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Saint Peter's are 6-4
After a loss are 9-1

A few Purple Eagles at Gaels trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Niagara's last 6 games when playing on the road against Iona
Niagara is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Iona
Niagara is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Niagara is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Iona is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Niagara
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Iona's last 6 games when playing at home against Niagara
Iona is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Iona's last 8 games when playing Niagara


Next up:
Niagara at Central Michigan, Sunday, December 2
Iona at Saint Peter's, Wednesday, December 5