Iona Basketball

A seemingly over-confident Iona basketball squad took a hit on Wednesday night. Iona (25-12, 13-5 MAAC) was in good shape out of the gates as the home team, leading by eight points early in the first half.

However, things quickly slipped away from the Gaels, and they could never quite recover.

Here is some quick advice: when the the biggest game of your college career is about to occur, do not spend your time warming up tossing alley-oops and showing the crowd flashy passes. Use the time before the game to actually prepare. They are called "layup lines" for a reason. 

A 22-3 run in the first half put Santa Clara (24-14, 8-6 WCC) on top 30-19. Iona stuck with the Broncos for the rest of the half and trailed by seven points with possession of the ball in the final minute.

However, poor offensive execution by Iona led to an awful shot. The rebound came out to Santa Clara's Kevin Foster, who ran up the floor and hit a three-pointer from just in front of halfcourt. 

But the Broncos could not carry the momentum into the first minutes of the second half.

Iona came out of the gate with a 12-2 run that was sparked by junior guard Scott Machado, tying the game at 40 apiece. 

And then Santa Clara came back with a 15-5 run of its own to take a commanding nine point lead entering the final 11 minutes. 

Iona continued to stick with the Broncos, but a Foster jumper gave Santa Clara its largest lead (14 points) with 7:11 remaining. 

Once again, Iona fought back and cut the lead back down to six points, but the Gaels could not finish off the comeback in front of an angry home crowd.

Iona simply had the chances to beat Santa Clara, but could never do it. Time and time again, the Broncos left the door open for the Gaels, but the Gaels could never get over the hump.

Overall, the Gaels were the better looking team for a full 40 minutes, but they were killed on the glass. Santa Clara dominated the rebounding on Wednesday night, and that easily could have been the difference in the CIT Championship Game.

Foster, the WCC's leading scorer, led the Broncos with 16 points and four assists. However, the sophomore had a mediocre overall performance, shooting 6-for-20 from the field and 3-for-12 from three-point range.

To back him up, Ben Dowdell, Marc Transolini, Ray Cowels, and Michael Santos all scored in double digits. Dowdell, Transolini, and Santos combined for 36 points and 24 rebounds, while Cowels added his own 11 points.

Michael Glover led Iona with 22 points and 12 rebounds. He shot 7-for-11 from the field.

Scott Machado scored 12 points and dished out seven assists, while Sean Armand scored 14 on 5-for-10 shooting.  

Tonight will be a historic basketball game in New Rochelle, NY between two proud longstanding Catholic basketball programs.   

Santa Clara University is a Jesuit institution in the Silicon Valley region, the oldest university in California, located an hour south of San Francisco.  As a student in the '70s at Providence, I remember coach Dave Gavitt talking with great respect about taking his team to San Francisco to play Santa Clara in a December tournament at the "Cow Palace" arena, site of the 1960 NCAA Final Four, reminding his players to be ready for a tough game. 

This time the Broncos are 23-14 on the year, led by guard Kevin Foster who scored 35 points and Troy Payne who added 15 points in Santa Clara's semifinal win over Southern Methodist in Dallas Friday night. 

Iona, administered by the Christian Brothers is 25-11, has won 12 of their last 13 games, and has seen their RPI ranking among all 345 Division I teams drop to as low as No. 68 from realtimerpi.com/.  Their early season home win over NCAA Round of 16 participant Richmond has helped.  Juniors Mike Glover the 6'6", 215-pound power forward and junior point guard Scott Machado earned all Metro Atlantic Conference First team honors as well as both earning places on the Mid-Major All-Star team. 

For Iona fans, many of whom go back to the era of the late '70s, early '80s when coach Jim Valvano and center Jeff Ruland brought the program to wins over Louisville at Madison Square Garden and in the NCAA Tournament, it is a night to savor.  Perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch their team play for a national title in their own gym on North Avenue in New Rochelle, 30 minutes from Broadway in New York City. 

After practice Monday, I had a chance to chat with Iona player Scott Machado and head coach Tim Cluess. 

Talking with Iona Junior point guard Scott Machado from Queens, New York:

How tough a game was it to win at East Tennessee?

SM:  Yes, it was a game of runs, we threw the first punch, we went up 12-0.  Then they came back with a punch of their own, and started a run, and all of a sudden we knew were down 10, 30-20.  The we go into halftime, the coach told us we had to start playing defense, and once we started playing defense, they could not really stop us. So once we started playing defense, we started scoring again.  Once we started making our shots, and getting stops, then game kind of came to us.  It was a hard fought game. 

You and Mike Glover Connected near the end of the game on a clutch "Alley-Oop" play at end of game, tell us about that? 

SM:  I saw Glove, (Mike Glover) going back door and the man that was guarding him on that side of the zone was going out more to the shooter, and Sean (Armand) was on that side. So Me and Glove just connected eyes, and I drove the lane to make sure everybody drew their attention on me and as he went back door; then I put the ball up. 

What did you learn in the St. Peter's game that you can take to game Wednesday night?

SM: To come out comfortable, not to come out timid. It is like a regular game, just a lot more energy, a lot more on the line. We just have to play basketball like we play every other game, that is it really, just come out ready to play, not timid.

How is it been to play four postseason games? 

SM: It is a blessing, we love it, It feels great to keep on winning and to end the season on a win is even better. 

You look like an instinctive player, do you prefer to make the plays yourself, or take the play the coach suggests? 

SM: I like to create myself, but I can do both, but I'd rather create myself. 

Sometimes I see you look one way and pass the other way?   

SM: Yes, trying to get the defenders off their feet. 

How does your school work go at Iona? What is your major? 

SM: School is going great. Iona shows me a lot of love; they make me feel right at home. I'm a marketing major. 

What are your thoughts about playing Santa Clara? 

SM: Just playing our game, getting stops early. As we saw in our last championship game, Saint Peter's beat us by played defense, and if we play defense this game, and we get stops in, hold the team down from scoring as many as they want, and we just score the ball, we will be fine. 

Thank you so much and our best wishes for Wednesday night. 

SM: Thank you.  

Talking with Iona head coach Tim Cluess: 

Tell us about the semifinal game Saturday at East Tennessee? 

TC: Yes, they are a very, very good team.  It was a game of runs; we started off with an early run.  Mike Glover has his back go out on him and Rashon Dwight got in foul trouble, so we had to take both of them out.  That lead to an ETSU run, they went on a 28-4 run on us.  Then we out score them from that point by 20 points over next 10 or 15 minutes of the game.  Then it went down to the wire, and we held on, our guys really fought hard.  Rashon Dwight and Alejo Rodriquez were both injured in that game.  We were playing everyone off the bench giving us minutes off the bench. 

On the injuries you mentioned, will everyone be ready for Wednesday night? 

TC: Mike Glover is good, Alejo Rodriquez hurt his hip but he looks like he is ok, Rashon Dwight is day to day. 

Can you tell us about the last minute of the game? 

TC:  In the last minute, we were up three points, when we got a rebound at the other end and Scott (Machado) was caught on a very questionable offensive foul, which gave the ball back to them.  They scored with about 10 seconds to go. Out of the timeout, we talked about what to run, the kids did a real good job of moving the ball quickly so it took time for them to foul us, it knocked six seconds off the clock, we got it to four when Trinity was fouled and Trinity stepped up and made two huge foul shots.  We put a little three-quarter court pressure on them, they took a shot from around midcourt, which thankfully did not go in.  

How has the team developed during the course of the season? 

TC: They are a whole different team from where we were early in the season. Early on we had a tremendous number of injuries.  Our guys never had a chance to really get a good feel for each other, or get a good feel for our system, or us to get a feel of them, because there were so many guys out early on.  But they just fought every single day to improve.  No matter what happened to them, on the court, off the court, they kept fighting back. So when hit stretch in January when we lost four really close games, it would have been easy to say we have given it all we have and that is who we are. Their hard work is the reason we are still playing today.  

Why have forward Mike Glover and point guard Scott Machado played so well together this year? 

TC: They just play well together. Scott makes Mike better and Mike makes Scott play better.  All our players benefit by the two of them draw attention so it gives them open opportunities as well.  As a team it really has fit well, Mike and Scott have been the catalyst in a good deal of our games but other players have really stepped up and done a huge job helping us win.  Our whole team, so it is a very good combination. 

What have you learned or been surprised by in your first year of Division I coaching? 

TC: Not many surprises, it is the same philosophy we have always had, just work hard, get better as a team, try to play the best basketball at the end of the year, certain goals we have always had as teams, we had as a team this year. I think coaching basketball is coaching basketball. 

Your thoughts on preparing for Santa Clara? 

TC: A very, very good basketball team.  They have two of guards who can really, really fill it up, they have a bunch of "bigs" who can score inside/outside.  They have good depth and run a good system.  They are coached by Kerry Keating, who does a great  job.  His father was a coach on Long Island many years ago; his dad actually recruited me.  So I go back a long way with that family.  We are going to need our fan support to help us battle in this one. 

We wish everyone a great night on Wednesday. 

TC:  Thank you very much. 

So there you have it, a historic college basketball night coming up in New Rochelle, NY.  Perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity for Iona fans to cheer a national championship game on their home floor.  Perhaps college athletics at its essence, a chance to play for a trophy, a banner and lasting memories for the players, coaches and fans.   

Ken Kraetzer reports on Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM and WVOX.com  He can be reached on kgk914@al.com.   

After Monday's practice, I had a chance to talk with several of the Iona Gaels who will play Santa Clara Wednesday night in the College Insider.com Tournament Championship Game.

Sean Armand is a freshman guard who has been filling in at small forward, as sophomore Kyle Smyth was injured in the Metro Atlantic Athletic championship game.  Sean is averaging 5.5 points per game and has made 42 three-point shots on the season at a 41 percent rate.  He had 20 points against East Tennessee State on Saturday.

How tough was it to win at East Tennessee? 

SA: They had a crowd like ours, it was a packed house. It was us five guys against everyone in the arena.  We just had to stay together, a lot of talking got us through the game on both ends of the floor.  It was a good crowd, hard game to win. 

On filling in as a starter for Kyle Smyth.

SA: I'm loving the opportunity to start. Kyle Smyth is my roommate on the road, he gives me a lot of advice, so filling his shoes has been pretty easy: Just play my role, play defense and everything else going to fall into place. 

On having the confidence to take shots in the game.

SA: It is just confidence from the beginning of the year.  I am a basketball player, freshman or not, I'm going to play basketball, there is no fear on the basketball court.  Again with a lot of talking with Smyth, and the upperclassmen, they have confidence in me to shoot the ball, so I'm going to do it.

On playing in the postseason.

SA: Happy to play with Ra (Rashon Dwight) and Alejo (Rodriquez) again.  They really wanted to keep going, they did not want to end the season like that, their senior season.  I'm proud to be on the court with them and to play these postseason games, so it is a real honor. 

On what he learned from disappointment at the MAAC championship game.

SA: We will never quit, we never quit any game, but just because you beat a team earlier in the season, the next time you see them doesn't mean they have not improved or changed things up, so we got to bring it every night.  Things not falling, shots not falling, we got to adjust, go inside-outside, make things work. 

On playing Santa Clara.

SA: We know they have good shooters, they are a good team, we will start from there.

On adjustment to college life.

SA: School work is good, lots of study hall. I'm a good student so it's not really a big issue.  Stay in library, stay in study hall and get the work done.  I'm planning to be a mass communications major.

On preparing for Wednesday night.

SA: It starts on defense, I'm just trying to stay on the court. Just get a charge for Smyth, get a charge, play some defense, get a win for Alejo and Ra.

Congratulations on a great season and best wishes for Wednesday night. 

SA: Thank you.

Iona senior forward Alejo Rodriquez is a fifth-year senior, having redshirted one season.  He is averaging 6.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game at power foward.

Alejo, what was it like to play at East Tennessee on Saturday?

AR:  It was a hostile environment, we got off to a quick start, so we caught them off guard, but then they came back.  It was a very hard-fought game. 

What adjustments were made to come back from 10 points down? 

AR: We rushed a little bit.  We were going too fast, we slowed down and played our game.  We got into their game a bit.  We have to do what we need to win by playing defense, and running, and pushing the ball.  Once we did that, we were able to settle down and get the win. 

Can you describe the poise the team displayed down the stretch of the game? 

AR: The team has definitely grown up, since the MAAC tournament till now the team has grown up tremendously. Everybody has grown up, the freshman are all now sophomores, they have all these games under their belts.  We are more mature, more poised in these situations, we don't get rattled. 

Your thoughts on being able to play four postseason games and a championship game Wednesday night? 

AR: It is good, the way the MAAC ended wasn't right.  We were not happy the way it ended, we thought we should have won, but we didn't.  We wanted to give our best effort in this tournament, and we have been able to get wins. Everyone has been contributing, some say about Smyth (being hurt), but we are trying to win it for him.  We want to win for our fans too, they have been with us supporting us all year. 

What are your thoughts about how you have seen the program improve over your five years at Iona? 

AR: Yes I've seen a lot, it is great to leave the program on a high note.  After my freshman year, the whole team was hurt, we won two games, three coaches, so it has been different, I've seen a lot of change, things being built.  But it is great.  I'm happy to have a chance to win, and do it with fans and everybody.

Will you have a lot of friends and family at the game? 

AR: My whole family will be there, friends, everybody, last game. 

What are your plans after the season and graduation? 

AR: After the season, rest a bit, get a little rest, then working out and preparing for the next mission in life. 

How have you been able to overcome a number of injuries to now play in a championship game? 

AR: I just keep pushing, my mom raised me to never be a quitter, to always keep pushing.  Sometimes, the cards don't fall your way, sometimes you don't get the best breaks, but I have to keep pushing.  I have a little brother and sister, I want to show them that no matter what happens, you can overcome any obstacles.

Thoughts about going out to play Santa Clara on Wednesday night? 

AR: Just get a W, that is it, get a W, for our fans, our families, the coaching staff, guys from the past, everybody who has been part of the program since I have been here, get it for everybody. 

Congratulations, best wishes for Wednesday night. 

AR Thank you, I appreciate it. 

Tomorrow we will talk with junior point guard Scott Machado and Iona head coach Tim Cluess

Ken Kraetzer Covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM and WVOX.com.  Reach him on kgk914@aol.com   

In the week leading up to the Final Four, three other college basketball tournaments will be finishing up. Oregon and Creighton will play in the CBI championship; Wichita State, Washington State, Alabama and Colorado will be wrapping up the NIT at Madison Square Garden; finally, Santa Clara and Iona will play for a championship in the CIT.

Santa Clara had some struggles in non-conference play, with its best win being over Big Sky champion Northern Colorado. However, the Broncos played very well in conference play, with their highlight being an 85-71 win over Gonzaga on Jan. 20. They finished 8-6 in the WCC and lost to St. Mary's in the WCC semifinals.

In the CIT, Santa Clara opened up at home with a win over Northern Arizona. The Broncos then followed up a win over Air Force with a win at San Francisco, whom they lost to on two different occasions in the regular season. On Friday night, the Broncos dominated Southern Methodist on the road, winning 72-55.

On the other side, Iona started off the season shakily, losing its first three games. However, the Gaels came back strong to win seven straight games. In MAAC play, the Gaels finished in second place with a 13-5 record. They won their first two MAAC tournament games by an average of 27 points, but they fell to St. Peter's in the championship game by a score of 62-57. 

During their CIT run, the Gaels played their first game at Valparaiso, which they handled fairly easily. They then played a close game at home against Buffalo, but Iona eventually pulled away for a 78-63 win. On Saturday, the Gaels took down East Tennessee State in Tennessee in a game of momentum swings. 

Iona opened up the game on a 14-0 run, but ETSU came back to take a 41-35 halftime lead. It looked like Iona had things wrapped up with a late 10-point lead, but once again ETSU made a comeback. However, the Bucs' comeback fell short, and Iona won 83-80.

With the game set for Wednesday night, here is what each team will have to do in order to be crowned CIT champs. 

Keys for Santa Clara

Three-point shooting

As a team, Santa Clara shoots 35.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Broncos have a pair of sharpshooters. Kevin Foster, the Broncos' leading scorer, shoots 37.2 percent from three-point range, while Evan Roquemore leads the team at 39.4 percent. 

In a game that will most likely have an above-average amount of three-point shooting, the Broncos will most likely have to at least reach their average of seven three-pointers per game. As much as Iona likes to shoot the ball, the Gaels will also leave the perimeter open for opponent shooters.

Don't be afraid to send Iona to the foul line

Possibly Iona's weakest point is free-throw shooting. The Gaels make only 65.6 percent as a team, and some of their players have atrocious numbers from the charity stripe. Their two main big men, Michael Glover and Alejo Rodriguez, shoot 61.8 percent and 53.2 percent, respectively. 

Obviously, the Broncos should not be looking to foul everything that moves. However, they should not necessarily shy away from physical play. 

The only Iona players that are consistently strong from the line are Rashon Dwight (80 percent) and Jermel Jenkins (76.5 percent).

Take care of the ball, limit turnovers

Iona loves to turn over opponents and get out in transition. When Scott Machado gets the ball in the open floor, the Gaels start putting points on the board in a hurry. 

Santa Clara is generally not great at taking care of the ball. The Broncos turn the ball over more than 14 times per game. Limiting their turnovers should be one of their main focal points.

Against Iona, teams average 15 turnovers per game, and Iona averages eight steals per game. If Santa Clara lets Iona turn them over, it could be a long and miserable night for the Broncos.

Keys for Iona

Three-point shooting

Just like three-point shooting is a strength of Santa Clara's, it is a strength of Iona's. The Gaels have hit as many as 13 three-pointers in a single game (at Rider on Jan. 14). This season, the Gaels ranked in the top 25 in the nation in three-point shooting, averaging eight three-pointers per game and making 37.5 percent of them.

The Gaels have the ability to survive without making three-pointers, but they become one of the better mid-major teams in the nation when they have their shooters going.

Stay out of foul trouble

At points this year, Iona has struggled with foul trouble. The Iona big men, especially Rodriguez, have had some problems picking up early fouls. Although Iona appears to have an advantage in this game, it will need to be able to keep its best players on the floor as much as possible.

The Junior Class 

Although Iona does not lack a senior presence, the Gaels are led by juniors. Glover, Machado and Jenkins, are all part of that junior class. Glover and Machado are clearly the best players on the team, but Jenkins also has the ability to put up great performances when his shot is on the money. 

When these three, especially Machado and Glover, are at their best, Iona can be very tough to beat.  

My prediction

Look for Iona to win this game. Overall, the Gaels are the more talented team of the two. However, Santa Clara is not too far behind. The Broncos have one of the more dynamic youngsters in the nation in Kevin Foster, who averages 20.3 PPG. His presence alone should be enough to keep Santa Clara in the game throughout.

However, Iona's talent and the fact that the Gaels get to play at home will ultimately rule out Santa Clara's chances of winning. 

Iona 79, Santa Clara 70 

The Iona College Gaels went on the road to to defeat East Tennessee State University 83-80 to advance to the College Insider.com Championship game which they will host Wednesday night in New Rochelle, NY against Santa Clara.

The game began with a 14-0 Iona run with Iona forward Mike Glover contributing nine points.  The Bucaneers then went on a 30-6 run to take a ten point lead 30-20 with 6:12 left in the half. 

Iona trailed by six at the half, but came back to take a 10-point lead, 69-59, in the second on the Buccaneers with 7:53 left in the game.   East Tennessee used a full-court press to narrow the Iona lead to 74-70 with 3:07 left. 

With just over a minute left, and Iona ahead by just two, 77-75, Iona point guard Scott Machado lofted an ally-oop  pass near the basket where Gael forward Michael Glover tipped the ball in and was fouled.  Glover made the free throw to give the Gaels a 80-75 lead with 1:08 left to play.

ETSU's Michah Williams made a driving lay-up basket with ten seconds to narrow the score to one at 81-80.  Iona inbounded to their best free throw shooter junior Trinity Fields who caught an inbound pass from Machado and was fouled.  Fields converted both to give Iona a three-point lead 83-80 and force ETSU to go for a three-point shot which they missed from long range.

Forward Mike Glover led Iona with 33 points, none more important than tipping in the pass from Scott Machado with a minute left.  Freshman Sean Armand had the hot hand from the outside making six three point shots among his 20 points. 

Iona point guard Scott Machado scored his eight points all down the stretch of the game, passed for eleven assists and landed seven rebounds.  Iona guard Trinity Fields had seven points in the game and was put in the game in the final moments to make foul shots which he did making two at the end to extend Iona's lead to three.

Michah Williams led ETSU with 23 points, Adam Sollazzo had 21, Mike Smith 18 and Justin Tubbs 13 points and eight rebounds.  East Tennessee finishes their season with a record of 24-12.

The Gaels now 25-11 will head home and get set to host a championship game at their own court—the Hynes Center, against Santa Clara from the Silicon Valley area of California.  

The West Coast Conference member Broncos are now 23-14 with their CIT semi-final win Friday night over SMU 72-55 in Dallas. Santa Clara had early round wins in the CIT over Northern Arizona, Air Force and San Francisco.

Previously in the tournament Iona had won at Valparaiso 85-77 and defeated Buffalo 78-63 at home.  The Gaels signature win of the year was a 81-77 double overtime victory on November 18th over NCAA "Sweet 16" participant Richmond. 

The Gaels have won 12 of their last 13 games, the only defeat in the span was the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship game in which they lost 62-57 against Saint Peter's.

The CIT Championship game between Iona and Santa Clara will be broadcast nationally from New Rochelle, NY at 8 PM EST Wednesday night by Fox College Sports Network.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY.  He can be reached on kgk914@aol.com

We have another chance to watch, in person, a Division I postseason college basketball game tonight at 7:30 p.m. locally in New Rochelle, as Iona College hosts the University of Buffalo in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Iona is 23-11 on the season after a 93-75 first round win at Valparaiso in the first round of the tournament, and received a bye in the second round. Buffalo defeated Western Michigan on Saturday in the second round of the event. 

Iona sophomore forward Kyle Smyth, hurt in the Metro Atlantic Conference final against Saint Peter's, is described as "doubtful" by the Iona Sports Information Department. Smyth is a solid defensive player and averaged 10.1 points per game.  Watch for freshman Sean Armand who averages 5.6 points per game to pick up some of the offensive play. 

I would not be surprised if senior Rashon Dwight has a big night, given another chance to play on the Hynes Center court. Rashon averages 8.7 points per game starting at the two guard and is always smiling, projecting optimism and energy to his team.  

Iona has a deep bench in the backcourt, with shooting guard Jermel Jenkins playing over 28 minutes per game, and averaging 9.4 points on the season.  Junior Trinity Fields, another team leader, has contributed late in the season, scoring a career high 16 points in Iona's win over Valpo.   Sophomore forward Chris Pelcher can come in and fight for rebounds, giving a breather to senior Alejo Rodriquez, who averages 6.7 points per game but has played through injuries. 

For the Bulls, their top scorer is junior guard Zach Filzen, averaging 15.7 points per game and leading the team with 109 three-point shots. The senior point guard Byron Mulkey averages 13.2 points, nearly five assists per game and has 81 steals on the season. At forward, freshman Javon McCrea has contributed 11.6 points per game and a team high 6.3 rebounds per game. McCrea has a good inside game as well, with a 63 percent field goal percentage. 

The game presents interesting matchups, as Jayon McCrea will play versus Iona junior forward Mike Glover, who had his 19th double-double of the season against Valpo and likes to dunk and make put back layups when ever possible.  He often attracts double or triple teams opening Iona's other shooters. The 6'7", 215-pound Glover is averaging 17.3 points per game, 6.9 rebounds and has a 57 percent field goal average. 

Watch how Buffalo's point guard Mulkey plays against Iona's Scott Machado, who is one of the top playmakers in the NCAA, averaging over seven assists per game. The Gael junior point guard from Queens, NY is averaging 12.5 points per game. 

Iona and Buffalo have some history, having played seven times previously with the Bulls having a 4-3 advantage. The last matchup between the two came in the 2006-2007 season. The last game played between the two in New Rochelle was in the 2006 ESPNU Bracketbuster Tournament, which resulted in Iona's 20th win of the season, 93-75.  

This will be the first postseason home game for Iona at the Hynes Center since the 1996 season, when the Gaels were matched up with St. Joseph's in the NIT. 

When the Gaels hosted a 1983 NIT game against St. Bonaventure, I was going to a class that night as a graduate student at the Hagan School of Business next door. As a devoted basketball fan from my undergraduate days at Providence, it was tempting to skip class and go to the game, but I went to class and ran over to the gym to check the score during the break.

Iona's win that night was their last postseason victory before last week's win at Valpo, the years go by fast.  At the MAAC Tournament I mentioned to one of the Iona senior cheerleaders before the game, to look around, because you remember these games and the people you were with for a long time. 

Still standing in the quarterfinals of the tournament is SMU, which defeated Northern Iowa 57-50 on Monday. While Iona and Buffalo are playing in New Rochelle, NY; Ohio at 19-15, will play at 23-11 East Tennessee State, and 21-14 Santa Clara will play at San Francisco as a late-starting 10 p.m. game. 

All of these teams want to win and possibly add a championship banner to the rafters of their arena, so it will be fun to watch. Iona has priced tickets are $10 at the door, $5 for children and free for Iona students with IDs. Perhaps you are tired of watching NCAA games on television and want to take your children to a game—this is a great opportunity to see a highly competitive tournament basketball game in person. 

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY.  Reach him on kgk914@aol.com

Sophomore forward Mike Glover, scored 17 points and junior Trinity Fields came off the bench to score a career high 16 points, as the visiting Iona Gaels defeated Valparaiso in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Glover shot 8-10 from the field while recording his 19th double-double of the season for the Gaels from New Rochelle, NY.  The game was also a career night for Trinity Fields.  He played sparingly down the stretch for Iona, but made several key plays at the end of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship game loss to Saint Peter's. 

Other Gaels in double figure points in the game, were Rashon Dwight, scoring 14 highlighted by 5-6 free throws made, and point guard Scott Machado, adding 11 points along with six assists. 

Freshman Sean Armand started the game in place of sophomore Kyle Smyth who was injured in the second half of the MAAC Final loss to Saint Peter's.  Armand, noted as a guard in the lineup, is really a swing player, who might also be considered a small forward, made a great contribution of 14 points on 5-9 from the field and three three-point shots made. 

For Valparaiso, guard Jay Harris came off the bench to score 20 points on 7-14 from the field, including four three-point shots. Another guard Howard Little, had 15 points and forward Cory Johnson added 14 points.  Guard Ryan Broekhoff led Valpo with eight rebounds and four assists, finishing their season 23-12. Iona went out to a 13-5 lead in the game with sharp shooting Sean Armand, making three jump shots including two three-point shots. 

Iona extended the lead to 28-15 with eight minutes left with inside points from Michael Glover and Trinity Fields, followed by a three-point shot from Fields, a jumper by Randy Dezoure, and free throws by Rashon Dwight.  Mike Glover and Alejo Rodriquez combined for six inside points late in the half as the Gaels maintained a fast pace to close out the first half with an eleven point lead at 41-32.  Early in the second half, Valpo's Jay Harris made jump shots on consecutive trips down the floor to get the Crusaders back within six at 45-39.  Later, Trinity Fields made four free throws and a layup to keep Iona ahead by twelve at 62-50 with 8:49 left. 

Glover then followed with a lay-up and two jump shots, while Fields added a three to give the Gaels a fourteen point lead at 71-57. In the stretch, Valpo forced Iona to the foul line where the Gaels made 11 of 15 free throws in the final 2:18 to hold on to the post season win. After one of their worst shooting nights in the Saint Peter's Championship Game, Iona had a great night against Valpo shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 46.7 percent on three point shots. Defensively, they held Valpo to 45.1 percent shooting and 25.9 percent on three-point attempts.

Tournament officials announced before the start of the game, that the winner would receive one of four byes into the quarterfinals. The Gaels' next game will be played either Monday (Mar. 20) or Tuesday (Mar. 21) at a yet to be determined site.  Perhaps Iona will be given a home game. Stay tuned here.

Certainly, this post-season win for Iona is satisfying to the team—especially after coming off a highly disappointing MAAC final loss.  The team showed its depth, weathering the loss of the consistent shooting Kyle Smyth. Sean Armand stepped up to the starting role, and Trinity Fields had one of the most memorable nights of his college career. Although his playing time has been limited this season, Fields has been a leader of the team.  It is great to see a dedicated player have a proud performance helping prolong the season for his team. 

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM and WVOX.com based in New Rochelle, NY.  He can be reached on kgk914@aol.com

The Iona Gaels will have two days to practice and get on a plane to play at Valparaiso University in Indiana on Wednesday night at 8 PM EST in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

This will be the first postseason tournament for Iona (22-11) since their NCAA appearance in 2006.  They are coming off a disappointing loss to NCAA bound Saint Peter's in the Metro Atlantic Conference Championship game last Monday night in Bridgeport, CT. That loss was the Gaels first after nine straight victories including season ending wins over Saint Peter's and NIT invited Fairfield.

Valparaiso was founded in 1859 and is Lutheran affiliated.  The University has 4,000 students and is located about an hour southeast of Chicago.  The Crusaders were 23-11 on the season finishing a game behind a three way first place tie in the Horizon League between Milwaukee, Butler, and Cleveland State.  They lost in their conference semi-finals to Milwaukee.  They are led by playmaker Brandon Wood who average 17.0 points per game and senior Cory Johnson who averages 14.1 points per game.

Iona has benefited this season from the inside play of forward Mike Glover and the point guard work of Scott Machado.  Both are juniors so the Gaels should be strong again next season.  Glover dominates the "Paint" averaging 18.2 points per game and 10.2 rebounds.  Generating dunks and lay-ups off of offensive rebounds, the Bronx, NY native averages making over 60 percent of his shots from the field and had 18 games in which he had more than 10 points and 10 rebounds.  Glover is a player to keep your eye on.

Machado averaged over 13 points per game and ranks third in the entire NCAA in assists per game average.  The Queens, NY native set an Iona record with 248 assists on the season.  Scott is most effective when he is setting up teammates for open shots.  He can make the outside three when he has the open shot.

These two private schools last played in a early season tournament in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands in 2008 when Gaels won 75-55.  RIder of the MAAC will also play in the event, in the mid-west scheduled for a game Tuesday night at Northern Iowa.

This year the CIT will feature a 24-team tournament with half the field receiving a bye into the quarterfinal round.  This tournament was stated in 2009 and last season's event was won by Missouri State of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The tournament stated that the brackets will be reseeded after the first round as 12 teams will advance. with four receiving a bye into the quarterfinals. "Seeding, which will be based on RPI, strength of schedule, conference ranking and geographical location, will determine the byes."

This is the full CollegeInsider.com Schedule:

FIRST ROUND
March 14-16

MONDAY
Buffalo (18-13) @ Quinnipiac (22-9) 7:00 pm

TUESDAY
Ohio (18-15) @ Marshall (22-11) 7:00 pm
Furman (22-10) @ East Tennessee State (22-11) 7:00 pm
Jacksonville (19-11) @ East Carolina (18-15) 8:00 pm
Rider (23-10) @ Northern Iowa (19-13) 8:00 pm
North Dakota (19-14) @ Air Force (15-15) 9:00 pm
Northern Arizona (19-12) @ Santa Clara (19-14) 10:00 pm
Portland (20-11) @ Hawaii (18-12) 12:00 am (midnight)

WEDNESDAY
Tennessee Tech (20-12) @ Western Michigan (20-12) 7:00 pm
Iona (22-11) @ Valparaiso (23-11) 8:00 pm
Oral Roberts (19-15) @ SMU (17-14) 8:00 pm
Idaho (18-13) @ San Francisco (17-14) 10:00 pm


SECOND ROUND
March 18-19


QUARTERFINALS
March 21-22


SEMIFINALS
March 25


2011 CIT CHAMPIONSHIP
March 30



Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY.  He can be contacted on kgk914@aol.com 

You are a mid-major college basketball team and got beat at the buzzer in your conference championship, you were on the wrong side of the NCAA bubble, you were the 12th team in the Big East, or your RPI approaches three digits. 

You are not going to be one of the 68 teams in the "Big Dance" and will be watching "One Shining Moment" on television or hand held mobile device.

No good team likes the idea of their season ending, especially seniors facing the end of their college playing careers.

However if your team has an above .500 record, was competitive during the year and can travel or host a game on short notice, there are three post season tournaments that can give you one more chance to play for a title:

The longstanding National Invitation Tournament, and two recent additions, the College Basketball Invitational and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. 

The NIT goes back to 1938, starting a year before the NCAA Tournament and through the 1960s was considered by many to be the more prestigious of the two. 

Then the NCAA expanded their field, the John Wooden era at UCLA, the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson final in 1979, and extensive national television coverage started to make the "Big Dance" an annual mega event.

The NIT, playing its first three rounds at campus sites, then the last two rounds in spring-time New York City , is considered an attraction because of its history and the opportunity for teams and their fans to visit the "Big Apple". 

In 2010 the NIT was won by Dayton in a 79-68 win over North Carolina. 

The NIT will invite 32 teams this year with the first three rounds held at campus sites and the semis and finals held at Madison Square Garden.  The NIT will hold a selection show on Sunday March 13th at 9:00 P.M. 

Games will start two nights later so selection begins and a wild time begins for participants making arrangements to host games or make travel plans for visiting teams.  

Very few teams do not accept an invitation from the NIT because it provides a highly competitive event and a longstanding championship banner to play for.

But not everyone is invited and two new post season tournaments have emerged to give post-season life to 32 more teams around the country.

Going into its fourth season in 2011 is the College Basketball Invitational produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, NJ. 

This is a 16 team tournament played at campus sites in four rounds with a novel best of three series played by the final two teams.  

In the finals, each participant plays a home game with the third game played at the second campus site.  The event is open to teams which have at least a .500 record. 

In 2010 the VCU Rams defeated Saint Louis Billikins in two straight games. 

Among the notable participants were Princeton, George Washington, Hofstra, Colorado State, Oregon State and Duquesne. 

In 2009 Oregon State defeated Texas El Paso.  In 2008 Tulsa defeated Bradley two games to one. 

In 2011 the College Basketball Invitational will start its first round on Tuesday, March 15th, with the best of three championship series starting on Monday March 28th.  

The Championship will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York again this year on March 29 and 31.

Another sixteen team tournament is organized by the Boston-based CollegeInsider.com and is called the Postseason Tournament, which started in 2009. 

Joe Dwyer is the site's publisher, and will pick teams after the NCAA and NIT have announced their pairings and presumably will compete with the CBI for the balance of available schools with acceptable records. 

The event announced in February that NFL players Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson of the San Diego Chargers who will join the selection committee with former coaches Lefty Driesell, Hugh Durham, Jim Harrick, Lou Henson, Ben Jobe, Jim Pleban and committee chair Rile Wallace, the former head coach at Hawaii.

“I am very pleased to be working with CollegeInsider.com,” said Wallace. “I think speak for countless coaches when I say that CollegeInsider.com has been a major asset to the game of college basketball. This tournament was created to give deserving teams, which would otherwise be overlooked, a chance to compete for a postseason championship. “

In 2009 Old Dominion defeated Bradley in the championship game of the "CIT" and Missouri State was the 2010 winner. 

The event is quick to point out that Old Dominion made it to the NCAA field the following year in 2010. 

Among the coaches of past CIT participants who speak in positive terms of their experience are Ed Cooley of Fairfield, Ed Conroy of Tulane, Kermit Davis of Middle Tennessee State, Milan Brown of Holy Cross and Tommy Dempsey of Rider.

One team looking to keep it season going are the 22-11 Iona Gaels. 

Iona finished its season Monday night losing to Saint Peter's in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship game, a disappointing loss after wining nine straight going into that game.

New Rochelle, NY based Iona has an RPI of 69 which puts them in NIT consideration. 

Fortunately for mid-major teams like Iona, the NIT, CIT and the CBI tournaments, which have joined the college basketball post-season world, provide more games for deserving teams.

Iona College Sports Information Director Brian Beyrer comments,  "When you lose your last game of the season, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.  It is great to have the opportunity of another tournament championship to play for."

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 and WVOX.com located in New Rochelle, NY.  He can be reached on kgk914@aol.com.