Fairfield Stags vs Iona Gaels Prediction, 1/30/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Fairfield Stags vs Iona Gaels

Date: Friday, January 30, 2026

Location: Hynes Athletics Center in New Rochelle, NY

TV: ESPN+

Hynes Athletics Center is the site where the Iona Gaels (14-8) will meet the Fairfield Stags (13-9) on Friday.

The Fairfield Stags played Canisius and walked away with a win by a score of 61-55 in their last game. When discussing personal fouls, the Stags ended up with 12 and Canisius recorded 16 personal fouls. They converted 4 of their 21 attempts from three-point range. Canisius finished the game at 37.5% at the free throw line by converting 3 of 8 attempts. Additionally, Canisius collected 31 rebounds (14 offensive, 17 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Canisius doled out 9 assists and had 6 steals for the contest. When it comes to the defense, Fairfield allowed the other team to go 36.9% from the field on 24 of 65 shooting. They also recorded 9 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and getting 5 steals. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 37 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Stags converted 9 of 16 tries for a rate of 56.3%. Fairfield ended with a 41.8% field goal percentage (23 out of 55) and knocked down 6 of their 19 three-point shots.

Braden Sparks is a guy who played a role in this matchup. He notched 14 points on 6 of 19 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes and collected 4 boards. He finished the game shooting 31.6% from the field and dished out 4 assists.

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Fairfield comes into this contest with a mark of 13-9 for the campaign. They have an average of 76.1 pts per game (195th in D-1) while going 43.3% from the field. The Stags are shooting 33.8% on shots from beyond the arc (177 of 523) and 72.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Fairfield is snagging 38.9 boards per game and is sitting with 263 assists this season, which ranks 283rd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 9.8 times per contest and as a team are committing 15.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Stags are forcing their opponents into 11.4 turnovers per game and they draw 15.9 fouls. They concede 34.1% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 146th in college in opponents PPG (72.5). The Stags are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 44.9% (580 of 1,292) and they surrender 34.7 boards per contest as a unit. They are 269th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 304 relinquished for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Iona Gaels walked away with a victory by a final of 66-57 when they played Manhattan. When talking about rebounding, Iona allowed Manhattan to collect 31 in total (10 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 19.2% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 5 out of 26 and ended up going 12 of 15 from the charity stripe (80.0%). The Gaels permitted Manhattan to knock down 20 of 60 tries from the floor which had them shooting 33.3% for the game. Overall, the Gaels ended up shooting 23 out of 56 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.1%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Iona made 8 out of 28 attempts (28.6%). They were able to knock down 12 of those for a rate of 75.0%. Manhattan was called for 14 fouls for the contest which took the Gaels to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while recording 7 steals for the game. The Gaels were able to collect 28 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 36 for this contest.

Kosy Akametu ended up having an impact for the Gaels for the game. He converted 7 of 12 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and tallied 5 rebounds. He totaled 23 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to get an assist.

Iona has a record of 14-8 on the campaign. When it comes to offense, the Gaels are shooting 43.8% from the floor, which ranks them 267th in the country. Iona has accounted for 1,621 points for the campaign (73.7 per contest) and they collect 35.3 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 14.2 times per game (175th in the country) and they turn the ball over 11.9 times per game. The Gaels have committed 15.6 personal fouls per game and they connect on 69.2% from the charity stripe.

The Iona defense surrenders 29.9% on 3-point shots (160 of 536) and their opponents are making 70.6% of their free throw shots. They have given up 15.2 assists and 38.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 301st and 345th in the nation. The Gaels are ranked 167th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 73.1. They are forcing their opponents into 11.9 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.9% from the floor (137th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Fairfield

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