“Everybody in the restaurant with us was in shock…happy” said sophomore Guard Sean Armand of the Iona Gaels.
Armand was describing the emotions when Iona’s name flashed up on the screen during the CBSSports NCAA Selection Sunday Show.
“We were in the Smokehouse on North Avenue”, said Scott Machado. “We were very emotional, just happy…we’re really excited, all my teammates just excited, ready to go.”
In a selection sending shockwaves across the world of basketball punditry, Iona College has been selected for the NCAA Tournament. Iona will play BYU in a play-in game for the West Regional and the right to a 14-seed in the region. The game will be played in Dayton, OH on Wednesday night with the winner scheduled to face 3-seed Marquette. The game is the only tournament game scheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally.
UPDATE: Talk of the Sound Heading to Dayton to Cover Iona College in the NCAA Tournament
In a press conference shortly after the announcement that the NCAA Selection Committee invited the Gaels, Iona head coach Tim Cluess was asked about going to the Big Dance as a head coach for the first time.
“It’s one of the best feelings,” said Cluess. “I’m lucky to be in such a great place, great fans, great alumnus blessed to be part of it.”
Cluess admitted he did not expect to get in but says he is looking forward to the challenge and opportunity of a good BYU team.
“We’re thrilled about it”, said the coach.
Cluess credited a bruising road scheduled at the beginning of the year and a strong RPI. Iona College has one of the best road records in the country, at one point playing 8 straight weeks without a home game.
Lamont “Momo” Jones, junior guard, was more certain than his coach although he admitted the path was unexpected.
“I was 100% sure that we were making the NCAA tournament…I imagined it,” said Jones when asked about his decision to transfer back to the New York area for family reasons last year but admitted the path was a bit unusual.
“It was weird how it all went down,” said Jones, referring to the unexpected loss to Fairfield in the MAAC tournament quarterfinals.
“A lot of my teammates were nervous”, said Jones describing the scene at the Smokehouse. “Having been there last year I kinda knew how things work. I was pretty confident we were going to make it. Just gotta have faith, hope the committee gives us another arm and leg.”
Jones, who transferred from Arizona last year, will be playing in his second consecutive NCAA tournament but now with two different teams.
Asked what he learned from his prior experience and how that could help his teammates, Jones stressed the importance of coming together as a team.
“The team that plays together the most wins,” he said.
Cluess said the team will head to Dayton sometime early tomorrow morning.
West Region bracket for the 2012 NCAA Tournament:
No. 1 Michigan State
No. 16 Long Island
No. 8 Memphis
No. 9 Saint Louis
No. 5 New Mexico
No. 12 Long Beach State
No. 4 Louisville
No. 13 Davidson
No. 6 Murray State
No. 11 Colorado State
No. 3 Marquette
No. 14 BYU OR Iona
No. 7 Florida
No. 10 Virginia
No. 2 Missouri
No. 15 Norfolk State
SIGN UP NOW FOR: Talk of the Sound NCAA College Bracket Pool. There will be a grand prize for the winner…announced soon. Fun and Free. See how you stack up against your fellow New Rochelleans!
Jeff Goodman at College Basketball Insider has a completely different take on Iona’s NCAA invite.
