Iona dancing for 2nd straight year after OT conference tourney win
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Still looking for its first NCAA tournament win after their 1980 first-round victory was later vacated, Iona will try to make program history this March.
The MAAC conference tournament champions are in their second straight tournament, and 11th overall (including the 1980 season), after they defeated Siena in overtime Monday.
Record vs. major conference opponents: 0-1
Iona didn't load up in its non-conference schedule, as the Gaels faced only No. 16 Florida State from a major conference, losing 99-78. Their best victory this season came against Nevada, who has a RPI rating of 34, to win the Great Alaska Shootout on a buzzer-beater. However, Iona lost to the Wolfpack six days earlier in Reno. When it comes to being battle tested, the Gaels are lacking.
Season Summary
Iona was 19-12 overall in the regular season and 12-8 in conference play to finish third in the MAAC. The Gaels were hot and cold to end the season, flip-flopping wins and losses, as they finished the regular season 4-4. From there, though, Iona heated up, winning three straight tournament matchups to claim their 10th conference tournament.
Tim Cluess is in his seventh season in New Rochelle, N.Y., as head coach (162-77) and has a dominant big man in Jordan Washington, who leads the team in scoring (17.9) and rebounding (7.4). Washington isn't the only source of offense for the Gaels, as four players average double digits and two others average just shy of 10, giving Iona the 28th-ranked scoring offense.
NBA Connection
The Gaels have a celebrity link, as redshirt senior guard Sam Cassell Jr. is the son of 19-year NBA veteran and three-time NBA champion Sam Cassell. The younger Cassell was a three-star recruit in the class of 2012 and held offers from Maryland, Pitt, and South Florida, but he elected to go to junior college. Signing with UConn after two years, Cassell played in half of the Huskies' games due to injuries and then moved to Iona as a graduate transfer this season, where he's averaged 10.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.