NJIT vs Iona prediction: Iona's rebuilt roster opens against NJIT's broken jump shot
Dan Geriot brings back barely a quarter of last season's minutes, and his first test of the new group comes against a Highlanders offense that ranked near the bottom of Division I.
- Expect a grinding, mid-tempo game where Iona's new transfers and its home floor in New Rochelle matter more than last season's numbers.
- Iona's perimeter defense against NJIT's shooters: the Gaels held opponents to 30.6% from three last season while NJIT made 30.3%.
- No line has been posted yet. The number likeliest to shape it is NJIT's adjusted offense, 346th of 365 last season.
A new Iona, top to bottom
The Gaels who take the floor Thursday night will barely resemble the team that went 18-14 last season. Players on this roster account for just 27.4% of last season's minutes and 24.6% of its points. The engine is gone: CJ Anthony scored 14.3 points and handed out 5.4 assists a game, and Lamin Sabally pulled down 8.2 rebounds a night. Toby Harris, who made 41.1% of his threes, is also off the list.
That makes last season's team numbers a weak guide. What carries over is the coach. Dan Geriot is in his second season after nine years on NBA staffs in Cleveland and New Orleans, so the system stays even as the names change. The roster lists five seniors and eight freshmen, and the seniors are where the answers live: Kosy Akametu is back after starting 28 games, and Kevon Vanderhorst arrives from Drexel, where he started all 33 games.
NJIT's search for a shot
NJIT won more than anyone expected last season, going 10-6 in America East play after being picked eighth in the preseason poll. It did it despite an offense that ranked near the bottom of Division I, with a middling defense (160th in efficiency) doing the supporting work. The Highlanders scored 98.6 points per 100 possessions, 354th in the country, and their effective field goal percentage (a shooting mark that counts threes 1.5 times) was 46.7%, 351st.
The three-point line was the worst of it. NJIT made just 30.3% of its threes, 344th, and Grant Billmeier, now in his fourth season, returns only one starter from that group. A fresh rotation could shoot better simply by being different, but nothing in the record says it will. NJIT's adjusted net rating, the gap between points scored and allowed per 100 possessions after adjusting for opponents, finished at -18.7 last season, 337th.
Geriot's arc and Iona's guards
Iona lived behind the line last season, with 45.8% of its shots coming from three, 54th-most in the country. Geriot's new pieces fit that shape. Martin Kheil took 190 threes at Idaho State and made 35.3% of them, and Luke Jungers, a returning senior, hit 43.9% on 98 attempts off the bench.
The defense was the bigger strength. Iona held opponents to 30.6% from three, 32nd nationally, and kept them off the foul line: opponents' free throw rate (free throws attempted per field goal attempt) sat at 28.8%, 50th. NJIT's defense sent opponents to the line far more often, at 37.3%, 261st. If Geriot's defensive habits survive the roster churn, a Highlanders team that struggled to score gets few easy points.
The shape of the game
Neither team pushed or crawled last season. NJIT played at 68 possessions per 40 minutes and Iona at 68.1, both near the middle of Division I. Neither crashed the glass either: NJIT's offensive rebound rate of 27.1% ranked 303rd and Iona's 27.8% ranked 292nd. Second chances should be scarce, which puts the game on first-shot accuracy.
The setting adds stakes beyond a season opener. This is one of the first games of the inaugural America East–Metro Challenge, a two-year deal with ESPN as broadcast partner, in which each school plays one home and one road game against the other league. Iona gets the home half at Hynes Athletics Center. Tip is listed for 7:00 PM ET. No injury or eligibility news had surfaced for either team as of Oct. 18.
Where the money is on NJIT vs Iona
On the Kalshi moneyline: NJIT: 0% of bets, 0% of the money; Iona: 100% of bets, 100% of the money.
Key players
- Kosy Akametu (Iona): The top holdover scored 11.0 points a game last season with a 25.4% usage rate, the heaviest load among returners.
- Luke Jungers (Iona): He made 43.9% of his threes last season and posted a 125.5 offensive rating in 16.2 minutes a game.
- Martin Kheil (Iona): He started 27 games at Idaho State last season and made 67 threes at a 35.3% clip.
- Kevon Vanderhorst (Iona): He played 29.9 minutes a game at Drexel last season and averaged 2.9 assists, a likely ballhandler after Anthony's exit.
Numbers that matter
| Iona returning minutes | 27.4% | Barely a quarter of last season's minutes return, so the Gaels' 2025-26 profile is a loose guide at best. |
|---|---|---|
| NJIT 3-point % (last season) | 30.3% | It ranked 344th of 365, the clearest weakness in an offense that finished 354th in efficiency. |
| Iona opponent 3-point % (last season) | 30.6% | A 32nd-ranked perimeter defense, and the coach who built it is still here. |
| NJIT adjusted net rating (last season) | -18.7 | It ranked 337th, against Iona's -7.1 at 243rd. |
NJIT vs Iona: quick answers
When is NJIT vs Iona?
Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET.
Where is the money on NJIT vs Iona?
On the Kalshi moneyline: NJIT: 0% of bets, 0% of the money; Iona: 100% of bets, 100% of the money.