Iona vs. Duke Basketball Betting NCAA Basketball Preview (First Round)

With the start of the 2018 NCAA Tournament this week, sportsbook betting players have some easy basketball bets to make. One of which happens to be this Thursday’s Iona vs. Duke basketball matchup. Let’s take a look at what kind of parlay and picks players can make off of this predictable pairing.

Iona vs. Duke Basketball – Midwest Region – First Round

When: Thursday, March 15^th || 1:45 pm ET

Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

TV: TNT

Stream: Drama on TNT

Betting NCAA Basketball Odds:

Team	SP/RL	TOTAL	ML
Gaels	+19½ (-110)	157 (-110)	+2375
Blue Devils	-19½ (-110)	157 (-110)	-4750

On Thursday we dance.#SI6HTS#HereComesDuke 🔵😈 pic.twitter.com/jH5RM2LsIG

— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 11, 2018

Iona Gaels

The emphatic Tim Cluess leads the Gaels in his 8^th season at the helm. While Cluess has plenty of experience in collegiate tournaments, like the ECC or the MAAC, he doesn’t have much experience when it comes to March Madness betting. Testament to that is the steep betting NCAA basketball odds Iona is facing in this First Round matchup. Overall, Iona turned in a successful 20-13 record this season to finish 4^th in the MAAC standings. However, with not a single win over a nationally-ranked opponent this year, it’s safe to say that Iona might have bitten off more than they can chew.

Despite being overwhelmed, the Gaels have enough talent on their roster to compete with the Blue Devils. Specifically, Iona has 5-players putting up more than double-digit numbers per game. Heralded by Rickey McGill, EJ Crawford, and Roland Griffin, Iona will be looking to overcome one of the toughest rosters in collegiate basketball. While Duke only has 4-players putting up double-digits, they have one player putting up more than 20-points. Likewise, they have another player scoring 15+ and another on the verge of averaging 15.

Duke Blue Devils

In his 38^th season as Duke’s head coach, Mike Krzyzewski is vying to cement himself as one of the best coaches in NCAA history. Although not the longest tenured coach, Krzyzewski isn’t all that far behind. In all honesty, it’s not really fair to compare Coach K to Iona’s coach. One coach has 5 NCAA Division I titles, while the other is making his first NCAA Tournament appearance. Let’s take a look at how both of these teams matchup instead.

Unsurprisingly, Duke also has a massive advantage when comparing both teams’ statistics. For starters, the Blue Devils come in with the better offense. Right now Duke is throwing down 84.7 per game, giving them the 8^th best scoring offense in the nation. Defensively the Blue Devils also have a massive advantage. Specifically, Duke is only giving up 69.6 while the Gaels allot 76.2. All things considered, it’s looking like the Blue Devils are too much for the Gaels to overcome.

Iona vs. Duke Basketball Betting Predictions

Trends

• Iona is 6-4 SU in its last 10 Games
• Iona is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 Games
• The Gales are 7-3 against the TOTALs in its last 10 Games
• Duke is 7-3 SU in its last 10 Games
• Duke is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
• The Blue Devils are 2-8 against the TOTALs in its last 10 Games

Iona vs. Duke Basketball Picks

This is a fairly straightforward matchup to predict. While we would all love to cash in on those appealing Iona upset odds, we all know Duke will win this matchup. However, there’s not much value in taking the Blue Devils straight up. Instead bettors should bet under on the totals and take Iona on the spread. Sign up now to make this lucrative bet today!

Score Prediction: 86-70 Duke. The Blue Devils advance to the next round but fail to cover the spread. The TOTAL will be UNDER.