Tag: Iona Gaels

Report: After March Madness Cinderella run, Tobin Anderson exits FDU for Iona

Tobin Anderson heads to Iona after historic run.

On Tuesday, it was reported by college basketball insider Jon Rothstein that Farleigh Dickinson head coach Tobin Anderson would leave the program for the head coach opening at Iona. The job became vacant after Rick Pitino accepted the head coaching job at St. John’s.

Dickinson joined the FDU program last March and is now cashing in on his success in the NCAA Tournament as he leaves the program after one year on the job.

Per Rothstein on Twitter, “Tobin Anderson has informed FDU that he’s leaving for the Iona job.” Prior to joining FDU, Anderson was the head coach of Division II St. Thomas Aquinas in Sparkill, New York.

The Spartans finished last season with a 28-5 record and 17-1 in conference play. The Spartans won the ECC (East Coast Conference) title and their season ended in the Division II NCAA Tournament against Bentley in the East Regional, 82-75.

That game ended a 16-game winning streak for St. Thomas Aquinas College. Anderson led the FDU Knights to a 21-16 record and 10-6 in Northeast Conference play. The Knights fell to Merrimack in the NEC championship game but due to Warriors being ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, the Knights were given the opportunity to compete in the Field of 68.

After knocking off Texas Southern in the First Four, FDU would upset No. 1 Purdue in the Round of 64 before falling to Florida Atlantic, 78-70, for a chance to compete in the Sweet 16. FDU became the second men’s team ever to beat a No. 1 seed in the first round as a No. 16 seed joining UMBC, after their win over Virginia in 2018.

Now Anderson will look to bring the Gaels past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980 when they lost in the second round to Georgetown, 74-71.

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Gators outlast Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels in NIT first round

Here’s how things went down in the opening round of the NIT.

Florida basketball kept its season alive on Wednesday night with a 79-74 win over the Iona Gaels in the O’Connell Center, taking the victory in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. The game unfurled in a painfully familiar manner from the start, but fortunately, this one had a happier ending than many, resulting in a triumph for Al Pinkins in his interim coaching debut.

The similarities began from the start, as Florida fell behind from the get-go in front of a sparse crowd in the O’Dome. The Gators managed to tie the game at 32-32 with just under three minutes in the opening half, with the teams trading threes until Iona took control again to close the opening 20 minutes with a seven-point lead, 42-35.

The Gaels kept the pressure on coming out of the locker room but the Gators never faded, keeping things close enough for its patented late-game strike thanks to some lock-down defense. Florida managed to tie the game again with just under 10 minutes remaining and took its first lead at 9:21 on a pair of Tyree Appleby free throws.

The charity stripe, in fact, played a large part in this game as the Orange and Blue sunk 12 of 16 attempts while Iona went a paltry 10-for-18. Missed free throws plagued Pitino’s squad the entire evening.

The Gators made some space with a pair of Appleby threes and a score in the paint from Colin Castleton, pushing the lead to seven and giving the team some cushion. However, Iona stuck around and kept grinding, giving the Gators fits on inbounds plays with its full-court press and eventually tying things with just under three minutes.

However, an inbounds alley-oop play to Castleton on the offensive end of the court gave the Gators a lead they would not relinquish. Despite a barrage of offensive rebounds by Iona that came up short in the ensuing series, Florida fended off the flurry and held on for the five-point win.

Castleton led the Gators with yet another double-double, this time an 18-point, 13-rebound effort, while Phlandrous Fleming Jr. also dropped 18 points of his own. Two other Florida players also scored in double digits. Iona had four with double figures in the scoring column led by Nelly Joseph’s 18 points and 12 rebounds. Seems like 18 was the magic number on Wednesday night.

The last meeting between the two schools on the parquet came in 1985 which saw the Gators fall, 71-70, in Las Vegas. It may have taken 37 years but Florida finally got its revenge and will live to play another game, which comes on Saturday against No. 2 Xavier in Madison Square Garden, New York City, at a time still to be determined.

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Florida vs. Iona: Stream, radio, broadcast info for NIT first round

Here’s how to follow tonight’s NIT action.

Florida plays Iona on Wednesday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Gator Nation is certainly disappointed with the outcome of the 2021-22 campaign, with their beloved basketball team earning a consolation bid to the National Invitation Tournament this March for the first time since 2016. Not to mention, Florida is now without a head coach after Mike White bolted for the Georgia Bulldogs opening, leaving associate head coach Al Pinkins in charge for the interim.

Opposite of the Orange and Blue stands the Iona Gaels led by Rick Pitino, who was a mentor for legendary Gators coach Billy Donovan. Billy D was starting point guard for Pitino’s Providence squad that landed in the Final Four back in 1987 and has praised his sensei as the “greatest player development coach in the world.”

PREVIEW: Florida basketball takes on Iona in first round of NIT

Florida basketball takes on Iona in first round of NIT

Mike White may have left already, but there’s at least one basketball game left for Florida to play on the schedule. The Gators take on Iona Wednesday in the first round of the NIT.

Florida men’s basketball finished the season 19-13 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Fortunately, there’s the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the Gators to compete in.

Rick Pitino’s Iona (25-7) is the first opponent on the bracket for Florida, but the team will be without Mike White at the helm for the first time in seven seasons. White left the program on Sunday for the head coaching job at Georgia, leaving associate head coach Al Pinkins to serve as interim head coach for the program as Scott Stricklin looks for a replacement.

Iona’s overall record may be better than Florida’s, but many of the Gaels’ wins came against Quadrant 3 and 4 opponents. That said, they did manage to upset Alabama in November when the Crimson Tide was ranked No. 10 in the country.

The Gators admit that they aren’t in the tournament they’d like to be in, but there’s nothing to do about it other than play. With many seniors set to move on from the program after this season, the NIT is their last chance to show their stuff in an actual game.

Colin Castleton will be tasked with shutting down the Gaels’ second-leading scorer, Nelly Junior Joseph. The sophomore forward’s double-double was key in Iona’s victory over Alabama, so that may be the matchup to watch in this one.

Tip-off is at 9 p.m. EDT at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville.

Projected Starting Lineups:

FLORIDA

Player Pos H/W Class
Anthony Duruji F 6-7 / 209 Senior
Colin Castleton F 6-11 / 240 Senior
Tyree Appleby G 6-1 / 163 Senior
Phlandrous Fleming Jr. G 6-5 / 205 Graduate
Myreon Jones G 6-3 / 175 Senior

IONA

Player Pos H/W Class
Nelly Junior Joseph F 6-9 / 240 Sophomore
Dylan van Eyck F 6-8 / 220 Graduate
Berrick JeanLouis G 6-4 / 200 Senior
Elijah Joiner G 6-3 / 205 Graduate
Tyson Jolly G 6-4 / 205 Graduate

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Alabama vs. Iona: How to watch, stream, listen

Alabama will play the Iona Gaels on Thursday. Find out how and when to watch.

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s hoops squad is 4-0 on the year after a mostly great start to the season.

Last time out, the Crimson Tide defeated visiting Oakland by a score of 86-59.

The Tide has the fourteenth-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 89 points per game. The scoring is led by Jaden Shackelford, who’s putting up around 19.5 ppg.

Iona is 5-0 to start the season, but they haven’t beaten anybody of note, other than Liberty.

The Crimson Tide will look to have a strong showing against the team they faced in the first round of March Madness during the 2020-21 season.

Tip-off, How to Watch/Stream/Listen

Tip-off: 4:00 p.m. CST, Thursday, Nov. 25

Location: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Television:  ESPN/ESPN2

Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network / TuneIn app

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.