[zoo youk]

now some of you may find this comparison a lil ridiculous..but IMO this game we have here is similar to what we had in Baylor going into Northwestern....just on a mid major level.

the Hallum brothers are for sure Denvers heart and soul and it seems Denver has finally turned the corner this year BUT Iona is just way to much for them...in all aspects..like Baylor to NW, Iona will simply out athlete Denver. Gaels length, speed and size will all just be too much for Denver to over come. plus Mo Mo Jones has now had 7 games to gel into the offense. this Iona team is capable of dropping 80-100 on any given night..its all starting to come together now..last game against Niagara, Machado played his role terrificily dropping 12 assists while Glover poured in 27 and Mo Mo Jones dropped 20 and than you have Sean Armand who came off the bench to play 11 minutes and was perfect from the field dropping 10 points in 11 min. than theres Jermel Jenkens, Trinity Fields, Taaj Ridley...this team just has scoring out the ASS.

this game is going to be wild but in the end Glover will seal the deal as Denver will have no answer or anyone to bang with him inside...look for a high scoring affair and Iona to win somewhere around 92-79

[HoulihansTX]

Do not ever bet against Denver @ home.

[Emily_Haines]

Do not ever bet against Denver @ home.

Correct

Iona can score but they can't defend. I think in a halfcourt game they get schooled.

[mh217]

i dont know about that from what i have seen of iona so far they score relentlessly..i think i agree with this pick..iona should romp..havent done the research yet but damn only 2.5??..wow.

[HoulihansTX]

look up Denvers home ATS record fo the last three years...

[No coincidences]

Do not ever bet against Denver @ home.

Ever.

Remember the year a while back where they covered like every game in Denver Houli? Good times.

[No coincidences]

Like what you post normally zoo, but why in the hell would Denver allow this to turn into a running game on their home court? They don't run. They're going to try and make this as ugly as possible.

[HoulihansTX]

It was two seasons ago. They covered every home game.

They hold the same 2ndH advantage the Nuggets do. The elevation tires out the road team to near exaustion.

[zoo youk]

Like what you post normally zoo, but why in the hell would Denver allow this to turn into a running game on their home court? They don't run. They're going to try and make this as ugly as possible.

they arent going to have any choice...plus they run a 3-4 guard set....and all of Ionas big men can run the floor..they are not going to be able to control the pace of this game or stop anything inside in the paint. Iona will destroy them on the glass.

[zoo youk]

I would normally agree with you guys but the lines maker have this line correct, this Iona team is dominant...how many teams do see you go into Denver that arent ranked and are the road favorites??

that should tell u everything.

[Powderguy]

something smells really fishy with why this game is only -2.5

[No coincidences]

something smells really fishy with why this game is only -2.5

Now -1.

[zoo youk]

adding Colo State +22

[Dank_Fire]

I like the over here, thats the safer play

[tokio]

Now at PK

[zoo youk]

The Gaels have been quite the powerhouse at the offensive end of the court in the early-going, as the squad currently owns the best scoring mark in the nation with a 92.0 points per game average. The Gaels are shooting at an outstanding 50.3 percent from the floor as a team, and average a whopping 22.6 assists per contest. Iona currently boasts five players with a double-digit scoring average, beginning with Mike Glover and his 19.9 ppg. Glover also owns a team-leading 9.1 rebounds per game tally, and is followed in double figures by Scott Machado (15.4 ppg). Machado has also kept his teammates busy, passing out a team-high 80 assists over the first seven contests for an average of 11.4 apg, a mark that currently leads the country. Lamont Jones checks in with 14.3 ppg as well for the Gaels, while Taaj Ridley and Kyle Smyth have been responsible for 10.4 and 10.1 ppg, respectively thus far. The Gaels shot at a blistering 63.3 percent clip during the decisive win over Niagara, an effort that included a 9-of-22 mark from long range. The Gaels added a 27-of-35 performance at the foul line as well, and limited the Purple Aces to a meager 34.9 percent shooting night. Glover poured in a game-high 27 points to lead Iona in the win, while Jones added 20 points. Ridley finished with 12 points, while Sean Armand chipped in 10 points off the bench and Machado registered 12 dishes.

As good as Iona has been offensively, the Pioneers have been even better at the opposite end of the court, as Denver has limited the opposition to just 58.4 ppg and a 42.4 shooting percentage. The squad has also forced 97 turnovers over their first seven games, and lead the NCAA at the charity stripe with an 83.2 free throw percentage. The Pioneers do however, average a lackluster 64.4 ppg, but are shooting at an impressive 48.0 percent pace from the field, including 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. Brian Stafford, with 15.4 ppg, has paced the Pioneers in scoring up to now, and is joined in double figures by Chris Udofia and Rob Lewis, who have contributed 13.6 and 10.4 ppg, respectively. The Pioneers held Texas Southern to just 43.5 percent from the field during Saturday's 16-point win, and forced the Tigers into a game-high 19 giveaways. Stafford posted a game-high 22 points in the win, while Lewis notched 13 points and Udofia chipped in 10 points to go with five assists and five blocks. The Pioneers shot 51.1 percent from the floor during the contest, including an impressive 10-of-20 mark from three-point range.

This looks to be a promising matchup, and may have to come down to the final seconds before a victor is decided. Iona has been a scoring juggernaut so far, but the Pioneers pack a stellar defense and can remain undefeated at home if they can keep the Gaels contained and get Stafford going. Still, Iona has proven its prowess on the road, and will come into this meeting with no trepidation. Give the Gaels the nod, but this may prove to be their hardest- fought win of the season, should they pull it off.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Iona 80, Denver 77

[jimmyeatworld]

after what denver did to st. mary's this would have to be a no play or denver for me.

[zoo youk]

obviously i dont agree with the final score they have predicted..just trying to point out the offensive stats for Iona.

[zoo youk]

after what denver did to st. mary's this would have to be a no play or denver for me.

st marys nowhere even in the same class as Iona.

but anyways..not trying to talk anyone out of their own plays..just expressing how i feel about the game and help everyone get a better feel and tail if you wish.

[Maddhatter]

3rd straight road game in a short span of 7 days playing in high altitude in a hostile environment where the home team is undefeated. If going for Iona, 1H play perhaps. I have Denver or no play myself.

[jimmyeatworld]

obviously i dont agree with the final score they have predicted..just trying to point out the offensive stats for Iona.

i think kenpom is the best source out there for predicting totals and they are predicting a half court type game with a final score of 69-66 Iona...

[Maddhatter]

BoL Zoo!

[jimmyeatworld]

st marys nowhere even in the same class as Iona.

but anyways..not trying to talk anyone out of their own plays..just expressing how i feel about the game and help everyone get a better feel and tail if you wish.

I'm not a big believer in st mary's, but i dunno if I'm a believer in iona either... for the record, kenpom has iona ranked at 32nd, and st mary's at 33rd.

[jimmyeatworld]

since no one in the MAAC is any good this year, Iona can probably run through that conference... this game might decide whether Iona gets an at large bid if they somehow didn't win their conference tournament.

[HoulihansTX]

Iona plays no defense

[bobby heenan]

dont go against zoo

again....same guys talking about denvers homecourt were talking about how u hammer unranked home faves against ranked road dogs.....baylor blew northwestern out of the gym...memphis took a little longer but they did the same......i hope this line keeps moving and iona is getting 1.5 by game time...wont scare me off one bit....

[+Even]

dont go against zoo

again....same guys talking about denvers homecourt were talking about how u hammer unranked home faves against ranked road dogs.....baylor blew northwestern out of the gym...memphis took a little longer but they did the same......i hope this line keeps moving and iona is getting 1.5 by game time...wont scare me off one bit....

The difference here is there is a HUGE percentage on Iona in this game.

[No coincidences]

dont go against zoo

again....same guys talking about denvers homecourt were talking about how u hammer unranked home faves against ranked road dogs.....baylor blew northwestern out of the gym...memphis took a little longer but they did the same......i hope this line keeps moving and iona is getting 1.5 by game time...wont scare me off one bit....

I've never understood this -- what does one game have to do with another? Not to mention you've cherry-picked two results when there are a lot of others that have easily cashed. No one ever said taking an unranked home fave would hit 100% of the time. Plus, is Iona's even ranked?

[bobby heenan]

cant remember anyone saying it hits 100 percent of the time...but there were posts yesterday "unranked home fave vs ranked road dog....u know what to do guys".....

and i mentioned something to youk in his kent st/marshall pick thread.....people blindly follow line movement and trends...when you look back at 3 games since sunday like this(baylor/northwestern wich st/unlv memph/miami)....there are two similar situations and one that was different...if you can assess the different situations correctly they were easy money...but some want to follow RLM and the trend of just playing the home fave

[GeeVee86]

Having gone to a MAAC conference school, the competition is a joke, and I think that Denver has played a tougher schedule thus far. I think Iona is a good squad but this will be a good test for them other than the Purdue game to have their "statement" game as the old adage goes.

[No coincidences]

cant remember anyone saying it hits 100 percent of the time...but there were posts yesterday "unranked home fave vs ranked road dog....u know what to do guys".....

and i mentioned something to youk in his kent st/marshall pick thread.....people blindly follow line movement and trends...when you look back at 3 games since sunday like this(baylor/northwestern wich st/unlv memph/miami)....there are two similar situations and one that was different...if you can assess the different situations correctly they were easy money...but some want to follow RLM and the trend of just playing the home fave

So Iona is "easy money" here like the others? Why?

FWIW, I had no opinion on Baylor/Northwestern, but told everyone to stay away from Miami yesterday.

[RudyRuetigger]

mrs. heenan,

you are fukkin clueless.

respectfully yours,

Rudy

[RoadDog]

Don't on Denver.

[bobby heenan]

So Iona is "easy money" here like the others? Why?

FWIW, I had no opinion on Baylor/Northwestern, but told everyone to stay away from Miami yesterday.

oh i didnt say they were easy money.....but zoo is a good capper and i trust hes looked this one over...im just not scared by the line dropping to 1.5 now....cause memphis moved up to 2.5 by gametime.....

when looking at these games i think three things.....is one team clearly the better team? if this was on a neutral court who wins ....do i think one teams wins a large percentage of the time if they played 10 times? and does the home team have a homecourt advantage that is a legitmate edge?

when looking at this ....the only flag raised here is denver having a good homecourt....but im willing to take the chance and make the play....

zoo also had wich state -2 sunday vs unlv.....which was different....when looking at that game...im not sure which team is actually better....especially on a neutral court....and wich st has a little homecourt edge to em.....so it was a solid play....and they blew unlv off the court

[bobby heenan]

mrs. heenan,

you are fukkin clueless.

respectfully yours,

Rudy

thanks rudy...if i had half of your heart i could have made all american....instead ive just been relegated to the scout team