No. 15 Seed Iona Squares Off with No. 2 Seed Alabama in NCAA Tournament
No. 15 seed Iona College (12-5) vs. No. 2 seed University of Alabama (24-6)
2021 NCAA Tournament First Round – East Region
Saturday, March 20 | 4:00 p.m. ET | TBS
Indianapolis, IN | Hinkle Fieldhouse
The Iona Gael’s won its league-leading 13
th MAAC Tournament Championship last weekend. The Gaels are the second champion ever to be crowned having gone 4-0 in the tournament. The previous team was Siena in 2002. It is the 14th time in program history that Iona is playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Iona’s captured its league leading 13
th title and in doing so became the first ever No. 9 seed to win the MAAC Men’s Tournament. The Gaels topped No.8 Quinnipiac University, No. 1 Siena College, No 5. Niagara University and No. 7 Fairfield University on their way to the MAAC Championship.
The Gael’s Head Coach Rick Pitino earned his 13
th conference tournament championship in 33 seasons as a Division I head coach. Pitino is the fifth coach in MAAC history to win the tournament championship in his first year in the league. He joins Mitch Bonoguoro (Fairfield, 1986), Fran Fraschilla (Manhattan, 1993), Skip Prosser (Loyola, 1994) and Rob Lanier (Siena, 2002). Pitino is now the third coach in NCAA men's basketball history to reach the NCAA Tournament with five separate programs. He joins Tubby Smith and Lon Kruger.
Leading the way for the Gaels is Asante Gist, who was named the 2021 MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Performer. Gist averaged 16.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists over four games at the MAAC Championship. Gist was joined on the All-Championship Team by Senior Isaiah Ross and Junior Berrick JeanLouis.
Ross finished the shortened 2020- 21 regular season averaging 20.5 points per game, leading the MAAC in scoring (18.4 ppg currently). JeanLouis is tapped to defend the opponent's top offensive player. He leads the MAAC in steals (2.5/g) and is one of 10 players to average at least a block per game (1.0/g).
Also providing major contributions to the Gaels was MAAC Rookie of the Year Nelly Junior Joseph. Joseph led all MAAC rookies in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked
shots. He was a 4x MAAC Rookie of the Week.
Officially, Iona is 0-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels has had a couple heartbreaking defeats in tournament play, including a six-point loss to BYU in 2012, two-point defeats vs. Ole Miss in 2001 and Syracuse in 1998 and back-to-back one-point losses to Virginia and Loyola (Ill.) in 1984 and 1985.
As for Iona’s opponent, Alabama won its first SEC Tournament Title since 1991 to get the No. 2 seed in the East Region. The top-seeded Crimson Tide secured its first conference tournament title in 30 years on Sunday when it beat No. 3 seed LSU, 80-79, in the championship game.
The two teams meet for the second time in history and first time since 1989. The Crimson Tide doubled up the Gaels 78-39 at the Cable Car Classic at Santa Clara University on December 29, 1989.
The MAAC is 7-38 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.
About Time Out for Black Lives
Time Out for Black Lives aims to inspire and educate youth, athletes, families and fans. The initiative has an interactive website where coaches and student-athletes from MAAC basketball programs contribute their time and resources to read children’s books in entertaining videos, all focusing on Black culture, history, music and myths. The program comes as part of the MAAC’s
United for Justice campaign that was announced over the summer. For more information, visit
timeoutforblacklives.com.
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) celebrates its 40th year of competition during the 2020-21 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.