Iona Gaels vs Merrimack Warriors Prediction, 2/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iona Gaels vs Merrimack Warriors

Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026

Location: Hammel Court in North Andover, MA

TV: ESPN+

The Merrimack Warriors (18-9) welcome the Iona Gaels (15-12) at Hammel Court on Sunday.

The Iona Gaels played Niagara and took a loss by a final of 70-68 in their last contest. Regarding personal fouls, the Gaels finished with 19 and Niagara totaled 16 personal fouls. They also converted 9 of 18 tries from beyond the arc. Niagara ended up shooting 86.7% when shooting free throws by burying 13 of 15 attempts. On top of that, Niagara pulled down 22 boards (3 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't have a block. Niagara distributed 15 dimes and had 3 steals in this matchup. Concerning defending, Iona let their opponent shoot 51.1% from the floor on 24 out of 47 shooting. They also dished out 14 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and having 4 steals. When discussing pulling down boards, they earned 27 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Gaels converted 13 of 17 attempts for a percentage of 76.5%. Iona ended the contest with a 45.1% field goal percentage (23 out of 51) and knocked down 9 of 30 3-point shots.

Toby Harris is a guy who was a factor in this matchup. He finished shooting 58.3% from the field but had no dimes when the game ended. He played for 23 mins and also totaled 2 boards. He left the arena with 18 points on 7 out of 12 shooting.

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Iona enters this contest with a mark of 15-12 so far this year. They average 73.2 points per contest (256th in D-1) while shooting 43.8% from the floor. The Gaels are hitting 35.3% on shots from distance (256 of 726) and 70.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Iona is collecting 34.3 rebounds per contest and has 376 assists on the campaign, which is 174th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 11.4 times per contest and as a squad are committing 16.0 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Gaels are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.7 fouls. They rank 307th in the nation in giving up assists with 407 surrendered on the year. The Gaels are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.6% (720 of 1,652) and they relinquish 37.9 boards per game as a team. They concede 31.0% from 3-point land while they are 159th in D-1 in PPG allowed (73.1).

For their last game, the Merrimack Warriors went home victorious with a score of 56-49 when they played Quinnipiac. The Warriors corralled 20 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards for a total of 23 in this matchup. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while getting 13 steals for the contest. Quinnipiac committed 16 fouls for the matchup which got the Warriors to the free throw line for a total of 20 shots. They were able to convert 18 of the free throws for a percentage of 90.0%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Merrimack made 4 of 16 attempts (25.0%). In all, the Warriors ended up shooting 17 out of 49 from the floor which had them at 34.7%. The Warriors allowed Quinnipiac to convert 17 out of their 61 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 27.9% for this contest. They shot 6.3% from distance by going 1 of 16 and ended up shooting 14 of 19 at the free throw line (73.7%). With respect to attacking the glass, Merrimack allowed Quinnipiac to snag 46 in all (22 offensive).

Kevair Kennedy was important for the Warriors in this matchup. He tallied 24 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 3 dimes for the game. He made 6 out of 15 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and had 7 rebounds.

Merrimack has a mark of 18-9 on the year. The Warriors have committed 17.0 fouls per game and they connect on 77.3% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 12.1 times per contest (309th in college) and they turn it over 10.0 times per game. Merrimack has totaled 1,846 pts for the season (68.4 per game) and they pull down 28.8 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Warriors are hitting on 42.1% from the field, which is 323rd in college hoops.

The Warriors on defense are ranked 25th in college in points allowed per contest with 66.7. They have forced 12.8 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.5% from the floor (56th in Division 1). The Merrimack defense surrenders 29.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (137 of 473) and their opponents are converting on 71.6% of their foul shots. They have allowed 12.7 assists and 38.8 boards every game, which ranks them 125th and 350th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Iona

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