Iona One Of 68

After helping lead Arizona to Elite Eight last year, Momo Jones returns to NCAA Tournament with Iona.  (Photo courtesy of New York Daily News)


Tonight's results from the NCAA Tournament selection committee proved that all speculation and bracket projections surrounding the prospective field of 68 is just that.


For just the second time ever; and first since 1995, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference was awarded an at-large bid into the field, as Iona College survived life on the bubble long enough to earn a trip to Dayton in one of the "First Four" play-in games.  The Gaels are seeded 14th in what will be their first appearance in the "Big Dance" since 2006, and will face Brigham Young Tuesday night for the right to play Marquette two days later in Louisville.  Led by Big East Player of the Year Jae Crowder; Buzz Williams' Golden Eagles are the third seed in the West regional, a group that includes conference champions Michigan State, Missouri, Louisville and Memphis among others.


"I'm thrilled that Iona College and our basketball team are going to the NCAA Tournament," said Gaels coach Tim Cluess on a conference call shortly after the small school in New Rochelle was announced by Greg Gumbel on the tournament's selection show earlier tonight.  "When I saw the excitement in our players' eyes and faces, I couldn't be happier.  They're going to have this memory for the rest of their lives."


Iona's first step toward what the Gaels hope will be a run similar to those of fellow mid-majors George Mason and VCU will come against a BYU team that, like Iona, won 25 games this season.  Despite losing do-it-all guard Jimmer Fredette after last season, the Cougars were among the nation's elite in their first year in the West Coast Conference under veteran coach Dave Rose.  "They're a different team since I last played them," Iona guard Lamont (Momo) Jones; who faced BYU while at Arizona, said.  "It's going to be a 'grind-it-out' game.  We just have to play Iona basketball."


The Gaels' style; and offense that ranks among the best in the nation, will run through senior point guard and MAAC Player of the Year Scott Machado.  Despite not making the tournament as a conference champion the way he had hoped, Machado remains eager to take the stage on a greater platform.  "We're very excited and very hyped to play," he said.  "We're getting ready to let people know where we're from and who we are."


Finally, the long and much-chronicled journey of forward Mike Glover reaches its destination as well.  Recruited by Bobby Gonzalez while the coach was still at Seton Hall, Glover was declared ineligible and had to pay his own way through his freshman year in South Orange.  From there, the Bronx product signed with St. Francis only to be released from that commitment when head coach Brian Nash resigned.  After a year at the College of Eastern Utah, Glover found his way home when Cluess and associate head coach Jared Grasso recruited him to Iona.  Two years and two first team all-MAAC selections later, Glover finally gets his chance at redemption.


Iona is still making last-minute travel arrangements for their unexpected trip to Dayton in less than 48 hours, but the excitement and hoopla around New Rochelle is at an all-time high.  "I don't care how frantic it is," said Tim Cluess.  "We're just thrilled to be a part of this.


The boys become men officially Tuesday night; and for Iona College, the lights have not been this bright since their last appearance in the NCAA Tournament six years before.  As one of only two local teams in the field of 68 along with Northeast Conference champion LIU Brooklyn, the Gaels have the chance to give New York another headline-worthy team to go with the Super Bowl champion Giants and New York Rangers, who lead the Eastern Conference as the NHL season draws to a close.  "I think we're just a hard-working group of kids who are going to give everything we have," said Tim Cluess when asked to describe his team.


It all begins Tuesday night.