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The Marist Foxes take on the Iona Gaels. Check out our MAAC Championship odds series for our Marist Iona prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Marist Iona.
The college basketball season has provided so many rich and remarkable storylines. The MAAC Tournament final has many amazing dimensions.
First, we can't deny or ignore the constant presence of Rick Pitino. One of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time lifted Iona to the NCAA Tournament two years ago. He has won national championships at two different schools (Kentucky and Louisville). He has made the Final Four at three different schools (Providence in addition to UK and UL). He has taken five schools to the NCAA Tournament: Boston University, plus Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, and Iona. In more than 10 Sweet 16 games as an NCAA Tournament coach, Pitino has lost exactly once. He is one of the giants of coaching, arguably the best in-game bench coach college basketball has ever seen. He rates right up there with Dean Smith and Bill Self among the greats. Now he has Iona one win away from another trip to the Big Dance.
Standing in his way is John Dunne, the coach of slowdown basketball who loves playing games in the high 40s and low 50s. Dunne has taken his slow pace a long way, getting 11th-place Marist to reach the MAAC's championship round. A No. 11 seed winning a conference tournament by beating the No. 1 seed and Rick Pitino? It would be one of the great all-time upsets in conference tournament history. The MAAC often features March Madness upsets, but this one might top them all in terms of conference tournament surprises (not the NCAA Tournament).
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Marist-Iona MAAC Championship odds.
MAAC Championship Odds: Marist-Iona Odds
Marist Foxes: +14.5 (-105)
Iona Gaels: -14.5 (-115)
Over: 136.5 (-110)
Under: 136.5 (-110)
How To Watch Marist vs. Iona
TV: ESPNU
Stream: ESPN+
Article Continues Below
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. PT
*Watch Marist-Iona LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Marist Could Cover the Spread
The Marist Foxes have caught fire at the MAAC Tournament. A No. 11 seed has thrashed its way through the field and reached the final with three wins. John Dunne's love of slow-tempo basketball stands in exact contrast to Rick Pitino's high-intensity, high-energy style with extended defensive pressure. Because the spread is so huge, and because it is easier to slow games down instead of speed them up in the postseason, Marist doesn't even have to play a perfect game. It can play moderately well and cover the spread. As long as Iona is not locked in and hitting shots at a very high percentage, Marist can dictate the tempo and prevent Iona from running up and down the court and getting a lot of quick transition baskets. Marist can hold the fort in the last game of the 2023 MAAC season.
Why Iona Could Cover the Spread
The Gaels are one win away from the NCAA Tournament, and whereas they would usually play a third or even sixth seed in a tournament final, they are playing a No. 11 seed here. Moreover, they are playing a No. 11 seed which has had to win three games this past week just to get here. The fatigue factor — Marist being exhausted, Iona being comparatively fresher — should enable the Gaels to run away with this game in the second half.
Final Marist-Iona Prediction & Pick
The fatiigue factor will rise to the surface at some point before the final 10 minutes, and the dam will burst for the Gaels, who are in excellent position to go Dancing again from the MAAC. Take Iona.
Final Marist-Iona Prediction & Pick: Iona -14.5
