No. 16 Seed Iona Squares Off with No. 1 Seed North Carolina in NCAA Tournament Friday Night
No. 16 seed Iona College (17-15) vs. No. 1 seed University of North Carolina (27-6)
2019 NCAA Tournament First Round – Midwest Region
Friday, March 22 | 9:20 p.m. ET | TNT
Columbus, OH | Nationwide Arena
The Iona Gaels became the first MAAC men’s basketball program to win four straight MAAC Championships with an 81-60 win over No. 6 seed Monmouth University. The top-seeded Gaels represent the MAAC in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season and 14th time in program history.
The Gaels topped No. 9 Saint Peter’s University, and No. 5 Siena College before beating Monmouth in the championship game at the MAAC Championship.
Iona won its fourth MAAC Regular Season Title under head coach Tim Cluess after closing the regular season with seven wins in a row. The Gaels have won 10 straight after three wins at the MAAC Championship at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. Cluess was named The Rock MAAC Coach of the Year this season for the second time.
Senior guard Rickey McGill was named MVP of the MAAC Championship and became the first men’s basketball student-athlete to win four MAAC Titles. Tajuan Agee and E.J. Crawford joined McGill on the All-Championship Team.
The Gaels are 0-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. It is the Gaels’ first appearance as a 16 seed and fourth straight year in the Midwest Region.
The MAAC is 7-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The last win for the MAAC came back in 2009 when No. 9 Siena College beat No. 8 Ohio State. MAAC members have never earned a win over a No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
It is the first time that the MAAC representative has been a 16 seed since Manhattan in 2015. The Jaspers played Hampton in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38
th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.