Betsided

Marist vs. Siena Prediction and Odds (Take the Better Team as the Road Dog)

By Ben Heisler

The Marist Red Foxes, despite a losing record, are only a 1-point underdog on the road vs. Siena.
The Marist Red Foxes, despite a losing record, are only a 1-point underdog on the road vs. Siena. / Mitchell Layton/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

Early Friday evening MAAC conference play continues tonight when the Marist Red Foxes head to upstate New York and take on the Siena Saints at MVP Arena in Albany.

The Saints trail the Iona Gaels by three games at the top of the standings and sit at 9-4 in conference play. Marist is in a bit of a jumble in the middle of the field, as five other teams sit at six wins.

Despite a losing record both in the MAAC and overall this season, the oddsmakers at WynnBET have set a somewhat surprising line for today. Let's dive in.

Marist vs. Siena Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

  • Marist +1 (-110)
  • Siena -1 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • Marist +100
  • Siena -120

Total:

  • 131.5 (OVER -110 | UNDER -110)

Marist vs. Siena Prediction and Pick

Similar to the lines for tonight's Cornell vs. Dartmouth game, the line seems a tad bit off when you look at each team's metrics and body of work.

According to KenPom, Siena, despite their second-place standing and 9-4 record in conference play, is a far inferior team to Marist. KenPom has the Saints at 253 overall, compared to Marist at 174. The Saints, despite their success have still given up more points per game than they've scored this year; averaging 66.2 PTS scored compared to 69.3 allowed. Marist is the better overall shooting and rebounding team, and also ranks higher in KenPom's adjusted efficiency ratings on offense and defense.

So why wouldn't Marist be favored? They've played well of late, are winners in three straight and match up better than most expect.

Siena has already beaten Marist on the road this year by seven, and only has one loss in conference play at home all season.

With the Red Foxes starting to play some of their best basketball of the season, I expect them to get the better of Siena tonight, giving us as bettors a nice opportunity to grab the better team at even odds on the moneyline.

For what it's worth, the UNDER is on the move as well, dropping from 133 down to 131.5.

LEAN: Marist Moneyline +100

Follow all of Ben Heisler's betting picks in real-time HERE!

Home/College Basketball Predictions and Picks