Halftime Report

After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Iona looks much better today on their home court. A win is still up for grabs for either team after one quarter, but Iona is up 37-35 over Niagara.

If Iona keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 7-8 in no time. On the other hand, Niagara will have to make due with a 5-9 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Niagara Purple Eagles @ Iona Gaels

Current Records: Niagara 5-8, Iona 6-8

How To Watch

What to Know

The Niagara Purple Eagles' road trip will continue as they head out to face the Iona Gaels at 1:00 p.m. ET on January 7th at Hynes Athletics Center. Iona took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Niagara, who comes in off a win.

Last Friday, the Purple Eagles rang in the new year with a 81-67 win over the Jaspers.

Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Iona last Friday, but the final result did not. They fell 69-57 to the Peacocks. Iona found out winning isn't easy when your three-point shooting is a whole 25.3% worse than the opposition.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Iona struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only five offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

The Purple Eagles' win bumped their record up to 5-8. As for the Gaels, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.

Sunday's matchup is shaping up to be a blowout: Niagara just can't miss this season, having made 46.9% of their shots per game. It's a different story for Iona, though, as they've only made 41.8% of their shots per game this season. Given Niagara's sizeable advantage in that area, Iona will need to find a way to close that gap.

Niagara is hoping to beat the odds on Sunday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they're sitting on a five game streak of covering the spread when playing on the road.

Odds

Iona is a big 9.5-point favorite against Niagara, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 9.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is set at 140.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Iona has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Niagara.

  • Mar 10, 2023 - Iona 71 vs. Niagara 59
  • Feb 12, 2023 - Iona 72 vs. Niagara 55
  • Dec 02, 2022 - Iona 78 vs. Niagara 56
  • Feb 06, 2022 - Niagara 80 vs. Iona 71
  • Jan 16, 2022 - Iona 78 vs. Niagara 55
  • Mar 12, 2021 - Iona 70 vs. Niagara 64
  • Feb 29, 2020 - Niagara 100 vs. Iona 91
  • Jan 12, 2020 - Niagara 70 vs. Iona 69
  • Feb 10, 2019 - Iona 79 vs. Niagara 76
  • Jan 11, 2019 - Niagara 95 vs. Iona 90