NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Iona College men's basketball head coach
Rick Pitino announced the completion of the program's 2021-22 schedule. In addition to 11 non-conference games, the Gaels play 20 MAAC games and host two preseason events at the Hynes Center.
With most of the schedule already revealed, the final three contests include two more games at the HP FieldHouse at ESPN's Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and a game at the brand-new UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, located at Belmont Park on the Nassau/Queens border.
Among the 11 non-conference games, Iona hosts three home games and plays eight contests on a neutral floor. The Gaels will not have a true road game outside of MAAC play this season.
Season tickets are on sale now at
ICGaelsTickets.com with pricing that starts as low as $159 per seat. An Iona basketball season ticket grants access to all 27 men's and women's games at the Hynes Center as well as a ticket to the men's game at Madison Square Garden on December 18. For more information visit
ICGaelsTickets.com, email
tickets@iona.edu or call the box office at (914) 633-2491.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
- No true road games in non-conference portion and six of 11 games in the New York Metropolitan area.
- Contests at all three major New York City arenas (Barclays, MSG, UBS).
- Six scheduled, or potential opponents appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2021 including Appalachian State, Liberty, Alabama, Drake, Kansas and North Texas.
- The Big East and Metro Area rival Seton Hall.
- Top Ivy League opponents Harvard and Yale and local-rival Hofstra.
- Of the 14 scheduled or potential opponents, nine finished within the Top 100 of the NCAA NET rankings in their last season of competition (Harvard and Yale did not compete in 2020-21).
2021 portion of Iona's slate can be broken into five distinct segments:
SEGMENT 1: PRESEASON EVENTS (TWO GAMES)
As part of Iona College's annual Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, the men's program hosts an open Maroon & Gold scrimmage on Friday, October 15 at the Hynes Center. Tip-off for the intrasquad event is 7:30 p.m. All fans are welcome to attend. The evening features performances by several student groups in addition to homecoming related prizes and giveaways.
FULL HOMECOMING SCHEDULE
On Saturday, October 30, the Gaels hosts Adelphi University in a preseason exhibition matchup in New Rochelle. Ticket information for the preseason events will be available soon.
SEGMENT 2: HYNES CENTER (THREE GAMES)
The Maroon & Gold opens the regular season with three straight home games, hosting Appalachian State (November 9), Harvard (November 13), and Hofstra (November 16) in a span of eight days.
NON-CONFERENCE HOME SCHEDULE RELEASE
SEGMENT 3: WALT DISNEY WORLD (FIVE GAMES)
Iona then plays five games in 10 days in Disney beginning November 19. The Gaels take on 2021 NCAA Tournament participant and ASUN Conference favorite Liberty on Friday night. A second game takes place the next day (November 20) against a yet to be determined opponent. Iona finishes its Disney trip the next weekend at the ESPN Events Invitational beginning Thanksgiving evening (November 25) vs. Alabama. The final two games take place November 26 and November 28. Friday's contest is against either Drake or Belmont, with Dayton, Kansas, Miami or North Texas awaiting in the finale.
ESPN EVENTS INVITATIONAL RELEASE
SEGMENT 4: MAAC OPENING WEEKEND (TWO GAMES)
The Maroon & Gold opens up MAAC play on the road at Marist on Wednesday, December 1 at McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie, New York. The two teams did not face each other last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gaels then host Rider on Friday (December 3) at the Hynes Center in a battle of two of the projected top teams in the MAAC this upcoming season.
MAAC SCHEUDLE RELEASE
SEGMENT 5: NYC ARENA TOUR (THREE GAMES)
Iona's final contests in its non-conference slate features games in each of the New York City's three major arenas including the Barclays Center, Madison Square Garden and the new UBS Arena, opening this fall as the new home of the NHL's Islanders.
Following a nine-day layoff, the Gaels are back in action in Brooklyn at The Barclays Center on December 12, when they take on Yale. The matchup is part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame quadruple header, which also features Florida vs. Maryland, Purdue vs. NC State and Fordham vs. Miami.
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME INVITATIONAL RELEASE
The following Saturday (December 18) the Maroon & Gold takes on Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden as part of the 2021 Gotham Classic. The doubleheader at the World's Most Famous Arena also includes a matchup between Pitt and St. John's.
GOTHAM CLASSIC HOME
In its final non-conference tilt, Iona hosts the University of Delaware at UBS Arena on December 21. The Gaels are proud to take part in the inaugural season at Belmont Park as the lone game of the day tips off at 7:30 p.m.
Iona MBB 2021-22 SCHEDULE:
| Date |
Date |
Opponent |
Location |
| Nov. 9 |
Tue. |
APPALACHIAN STATE |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Nov. 13 |
Sat. |
HARVARD |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Nov. 16 |
Tue. |
HOFSTRA |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Nov. 19 |
Fri. |
vs. Liberty |
Lake Buena Vista, FL - HP Field House |
| Nov. 20 |
Sat. |
vs. TBD |
Lake Buena Vista, FL - HP Field House |
| Nov. 25 |
Thu. |
vs. Alabama |
Lake Buena Vista, FL - HP Field House |
| Nov. 26 |
Fri. |
vs. Drake/Belmont |
Lake Buena Vista, FL - HP Field House |
| Nov. 28 |
Sun. |
vs. Dayton/Kansas/Miami/North Texas |
Lake Buena Vista, FL - HP Field House |
| Dec. 1 |
Wed. |
at Marist* |
Poughkeepsie, NY - McCann Arena |
| Dec. 3 |
Fri. |
RIDER* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Dec. 12 |
Sun. |
vs. Yale |
Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center |
| Dec. 18 |
Sat. |
vs. Seton Hall |
New York, NY - Madison Square Garden |
| Dec. 21 |
Tue. |
vs. Delaware |
Elmont, NY - UBS Arena |
| Dec. 31 |
Fri. |
SIENA* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Jan. 2 |
Sun. |
at Fairfield* |
Bridgeport, CT - Webster Bank Arena |
| Jan. 7 |
Fri. |
at Saint Peter's* |
Jersey City, NJ - Yanitelli Center |
| Jan. 9 |
Sun. |
at Monmouth* |
West Long Branch, NJ - OceanFirst Bank Center |
| Jan. 14 |
Fri. |
MANHATTAN* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Jan. 16 |
Sun. |
NIAGARA* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Jan. 21 |
Fri. |
MARIST* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Jan. 23 |
Sun. |
at Quinnipiac* |
Hamden, CT - People's United Center |
| Jan. 30 |
Sun. |
SAINT PETER'S* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Feb. 4 |
Fri. |
at Canisius* |
Buffalo, NY - Koessler Center |
| Feb. 6 |
Sun. |
at Niagara* |
Lewiston, NY - Gallagher Center |
| Feb. 11 |
Fri. |
at Siena* |
Albany, NY - Times Union Center |
| Feb. 13 |
Sun. |
MONMOUTH* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Feb. 20 |
Sun. |
FAIRFIELD* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Feb. 25 |
Fri. |
CANISIUS* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Feb. 27 |
Sun. |
at Rider* |
Lawrenceville, NJ - Alumni Gym |
| Mar. 3 |
Thu. |
at Manhattan* |
Riverdale, NY - Draddy Gymnasium |
| Mar. 5 |
Sat. |
QUINNIPIAC* |
New Rochelle, NY - Hynes Center |
| Mar. 8-12 |
Tue.-Sat. |
2022 MAAC Championship |
Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall |
| * - MAAC Game | Times / TV are TBD |