The No. 4 seed UConn Huskies (25-8, 14-8 Big East) face the No. 13 seed Iona Gaels (27-7, 20-3 MAAC) Friday at MVP Arena in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Iona dominated the Marist Red Foxes 76-55 at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday in the Metro Atlantic Conference Tourney Championship, their 14th straight win. Daniss Jenkins led the way with 27 points.
UConn dropped a close one in the semifinals of the Big East Conference Tourney on Friday at Madison Square Garden, falling to the Marquette Golden Eagles 70-68. Adama Sanogo had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, carrying the team.
The Huskies won the last meeting between the teams 80-62 at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in December 2019. Josh Carlton led the Huskies with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks. E.J. Crawford had 17 points in defeat.
The Gaels have been led this season by Walter Clayton Jr. (16.9 ppg), Jenkins (15.6), and Nelly Junior Joseph (15.1). Junior Joseph also has grabbed 9.4 rebounds per game, while Jenkins has dished 4.9 assists per game.
Sanogo (16.8 ppg) and Jordan Hawkins (15.2) have been the primary providers for the Huskies on offense. Sanogo also has pulled down 7.3 rebounds per game. Tristen Newton has tallied 4.6 assists per game.
The Huskies rank 11th in the NCAA in offensive efficiency, while the Gaels are 20th in defensive efficiency. Iona is 10-0 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +16.7 (78.3-61.6). For the season, the Gaels are averaging 76.4 points per game, compared to 65.0 for opponents.
UConn has gone 8-2 over the last 10, scoring 75.4 points per game on average while holding opponents to 65.4 (+10.0 margin).
GAELS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Osborn Shema: 17.8 | 13.6 | +4.2
Michael Jefferson: 2.0 | 4.4 | -2.4
Points per game:
Daniss Jenkins: 19.8 | 15.6 | +4.2
Rebounds per game:
Osborn Shema: 6.0 | 4.8 | +1.2
Assists per game:
Walter Clayton Jr.: 4.2 | 3.2 | +1.0
HUSKIES HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Andre Jackson Jr.: 20.8 | 15.7 | +5.1
Points per game:
Donovan Clingan: 5.2 | 7.1 | -1.9
Rebounds per game:
Donovan Clingan: 4.2 | 5.7 | -1.5
Assists per game:
Tristen Newton: 6.0 | 4.6 | +1.4
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
UConn -9.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
