NCAA Basketball Betting: Manhattan vs Iona & More

On Friday, February 17th, we’re looking at a slow night in the college basketball world. There are no Power 5 games going on, so none of the powerhouses will be in action. This will be a night where some of the small conferences get to show off for the nation.

In looking at the games in terms of betting, we’ve found some games that we think we may have a good beat on. We’ll give you a brief preview of each of those games, and then we’ll give you our best NCAA Basketball betting advice. Good Luck!

A Night for the Smaller Conferences to Shine In College Hoops Betting | NCAA Basketball Lines

Manhattan Jaspers @ Iona Gaels

These two rivals will face off in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference actions. The Jaspers are in the middle of the pack in the conference with a 7-7 record. They’re 9-14 overall. They’re just 3-6 on the road this season, so that doesn’t bode well for them in this one.

The Iona Gaels, who are coached by the legendary Rick Pitino, are tied with Rider atop the MAAC. At 11-3 in conference play, Iona knows that every game is important, as they want to clinch the conference championship and the top spot in the MAAC Tournament.

Iona is 18-7 overall, and has won its last five games. The Gaels are 8-1 at home, and have beaten teams very soundly on their home floor. We think that will happen again in this one.

Pitino’s squad should be a sizable favorite over Manhattan in this one. We like the Gaels to continue on with their winning ways. If the spread isn’t too large, we suggest taking Iona to win and cover in this critical MAAC game.

Yale Bulldogs @ Pennsylvania Quakers

The Ivy League is highly contested this season, so every game down the stretch will have huge implications. We’ll see an important one on Friday night, as the Yale Bulldogs travel to take on the Penn Quakers. Yale and Princeton are currently tied atop the conference at 7-3, while Brown and Penn are just one game behind the leaders with 6-4 records.

Both teams are playing well right now, as Yale has won six in a row, while the Quakers have notched five straight victories. Something will have to give in this very big Ivy League Showdown.

At 17-6 overall, Yale has the record advantage. Penn will come into the matchup at 14-11 overall. Yale is 9-1 on their home court, while the Quakers are just 6-7 away from their home court. With that being said, the advantage should go to Yale.

We anticipate Yale being a slight favorite in this one. With their home-court record, it’s hard to go against the Bulldogs. They’re the better team, and all things considered, they need this one more than Penn.

As long as you’re comfortable with the spread, we suggest taking Yale. Yale is the better team, and they know that they need this game to stay atop the conference standings. Yale wins the game and covers the spread.