NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College men's basketball team drew the Big 10's Purdue for its opening contest of the 2011-12 season on Nov. 17. The Gaels and Boilermakers will square off at 1:00 pm ET in the second game of the day in the 2011 Puerto Rico Tip Off in San Juan, PR.
The two teams on the top of the bracket will face either the Atlantic 10's Temple or the Mid-American Conference's Western Michigan the following day. The winner takes part in the semifinal round at 1:00 pm on Nov. 18 while the loser heads to the consolation round at 3:30 pm. The final day of competition is Sunday (Nov. 20) with the championship game aired at 8:00 pm on ESPN2.
First round matchups on the other side of the bracket on Thursday include Maryland vs. Alabama and Wichita State vs. Colorado.
"We're really looking forward to the challenge in Puerto Rico to open the season," said second-year head coach Tim Cluess. "Purdue presents a tough matchup and to get to play on national television against a program with such great basketball history is a tremedous honor for Iona."
It will be the first ever matchup between Iona and Purdue when the two teams square off on Nov. 17. Purdue is a familar foe to MAAC fans having elimated Saint Peter's (2011) and Siena (2010) from the NCAA Championship the last two seasons. The Gaels are 1-0 vs. Temple having defeated the Owls in their only matchup on Jan. 30, 1954. Iona and Western Michigan split a home-and-home series in 2007 and 2008 having held sere at home in both contests.
The remainder of Iona's non-conference schedule is still in the process of being completed and will be announced in the upcoming weeks.