College Insider Tournament Championship Game
Santa Clara Broncos at Iona Gaels
Hynes Athletic Center, New Rochelle, NY
Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 8:00 pm Eastern, TV: Fox College Sports
Opening Line: Iona -10
Current Line: Iona -9 1/2
Opening Total: 152 1/2
Current Total: 153
Money Line: Iona -550 / Santa Clara +440
One of these teams will get to raise a banner in their gym next season saying they were either the 101st or 125th best team in college basketball depending on whether you believe the CIT or CBI tournament is more prestigious. That is kind of like arguing which is more prestigious, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl or the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in college football. I am joking, of course, because even though this tournament doesn’t mean a lot to the average college basketball fan (it isn’t even televised on one of the roughly 500 cable/satellite channels available) it means every thing to Iona and Santa Clara. Neither of these schools will ever win an NCAA tournament or maybe even the NIT. It will be nice to hang a championship banner other than an occasional conference championship.
Santa Clara is 23-14 overall and finished 4th in the West Coast Conference with an 8-6 record. The Broncos have won 7 of their last 8 games. The only loss was to St. Mary’s in the WCC semifinals in Las Vegas. In this tournament, the Broncos have home wins over Northern Arizona 68-63 and Air Force 88-75 in the second round. They won at WCC rival San Francisco 95-91 in the quarterfinals and at SMU 72-55 in the semifinals. Gaurd Kevin Foster had almost half of the Broncos points with 35 in the win over SMU. Iona is 25-11 and finished second in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 13-5 record. The Gaels have gone 12-1 in their last 13, the only loss coming to St. peter’s in the MAAC Championship game. In this tournament, Iona won at Valparaiso 85-77, got a second round bye, beat Buffalo at home 78-63 in the quarterfinals and won at East Tennessee St 83-80 in the semifinals. Forward Michael Glover had 33 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Gaels over ETSU.
Santa Clara leads the overall series 1-0 against Iona, but they haven’t played since 1960. The Broncos are 10-19 ATS after a non-conference game the past 2 seasons. Iona is 8-2 ATS in non-conference games this season.
Santa Clara guard Robert Smith left the team in December for personal reasons. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals a game. Santa Clara is led by guard Kevin Foster who averages 20.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 steals a game. He leads the team in scoring and is tied for the team lead in assists and steals. Forward Marc Trasolini averages 12.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1 block a game. He leads the Broncos in rebounds and blocks. Guard Evan Roquemore averages 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists to lead the team, and 1 steal a game. Troy Payne averages 5.9 rebounds and is tied for the team lead in steals with 1.6 a game. Santa Clara is outscoring opponents 74-71 on the season. The Broncos shoot 43.1% from the field and 35.1% from 3-point range. Bronco opponents are shooting 44.8% from the field. Santa Clara makes 72.7% from the free throw line. They average 35.9 rebounds a game and have a rebounding margin of +4.1. The Broncos average 12.8 assists per game and 14.1 turnovers a game. They force 14.6 turnovers a game on defense. Santa Clara averages 7.3 steals and 3.1 blocks a game.
Iona guard Kyle Smith is questionable for the game against Santa Clara with a shoulder injury. He is the teams third leading scorer with 10.1 points a game. Forward Michael Glover averages 18.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks a game to lead the team in all three categories. Glover injured his back in the last game but is listed as probable. Guard Scott Machado averages 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.3 steals a game. He leads the team in assists and is tied for the team lead in steals. Guard Jermel Jenkins averages 9.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals a game. Rashon Dwight averages 8.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and leads the team in steals with 1.3 a game. Iona is outscoring teams 79-70 on the season. The Gaels are shooting 47.8% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range. Iona opponents are shooting 44.3% from the field. Iona makes 65.8% from the free throw line. The Gaels average 36.3 rebounds a game and have a rebounding margin of +2.8. Iona averages 17.5 assists and 12.8 turnovers a game. They force 14.8 turnovers a game on defense. The Gaels average 7.6 steals and 3.2 blocks a game.
I think line is too high. Even though, Santa Clara has had to travel cross country, I think they have the talent to stay with Iona and keep it close. I think the two stars, Foster for Santa Clara and Glover for Iona, will get their points. Iona scores slightly more points but both teams are comfortable playing in the 70’s. Iona wins but doesn’t cover.
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