Rick Pitino will not participate in March Madness.
Despite being the No. 1 overall seed in the MAAC tournament, Iona lost to Rider in the quarterfinals. The loss means Iona will not earn an automatic bid to the Men’s NCAA tournament, and the team is unlikely to receive an at-large bid.
Rider hung tight with Iona all game, down just two at halftime and outscoring the Gaels 43-40 in the second half to win 71-70. The two teams played twice in the regular season, with Iona coming out on top both times.
Iona made the tournament last year by winning the MAAC tournament as the No. 9 seed. They earned a No. 15 seed and lost to Alabama in the first round in head coach Rick Pitino’s return to March Madness after Louisville fired him.
The Gaels were even better this year, finishing the regular season with a 25-6 record, including 17-3 in conference. SI’s Kevin Sweeney had Iona as a projected No. 13 seed before this loss.
Despite the loss, Pitino is not going anywhere. He and the school discussed a life-time contract earlier this year, and Pitino publicly turned down the Maryland head coaching job earlier in the month.
Rider, meanwhile, pulled off the upset after a below average season. The Broncs compiled a 14-18 record, 8-12 in conference, earning them the No. 9 seed in the MAAC tournament. They beat No. 8 Manhattan in the first round before taking down Iona.
Rider will move on to the MAAC semifinals on Friday, where they will play the winner of Niagara vs. Monmouth.
