# 2022–23 Iona Gaels men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Iona Gaels men's basketball team represented Iona University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gaels, led by third-year head coach Rick Pitino, played their home games at the Hynes Athletic Center in New Rochelle, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 17–3 in MAAC play to win the regular season championship. In the MAAC tournament, they defeated Mount St. Mary's, Niagara, and Marist to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the West region. There they lost in the first round to eventual champion UConn.
In March 2023, head coach Rick Pitino left the team to accept the head coaching job at St. John's. The next day, the school named Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Tobin Anderson the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

The Gaels finished the 2021–22 season 25–8, 17–3 in MAAC play to finish as MAAC regular season champions. As the top seed in the MAAC tournament, they were upset in the quarterfinals by #9 seed Rider. As a conference regular season champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the NIT, where they lost in the first round to Florida.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Penn | W 78–50 | 1–0 | Hynes Athletic Center (2,654) New Rochelle, NY |
| November 11, 2022* 7:00 pm, FloHoops | | at Hofstra | L 78–83 | 1–1 | Mack Sports Complex (3,707) Hempstead, NY |
| November 18, 2022* 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Vermont Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase | W 71–50 | 2–1 | Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT |
| November 27, 2022* 12:00 am, BeTheBeast | | vs. Santa Clara Las Vegas Holiday Classic | L 76–86 | 2–2 | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| December 2, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Niagara | W 78–56 | 3–2 (1–0) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,087) New Rochelle, NY |
| December 4, 2022 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Canisius | W 90–60 | 4–2 (2–0) | Hynes Athletic Center (1,633) New Rochelle, NY |
| December 6, 2022* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Saint Louis | W 84–62 | 5–2 | Hynes Athletic Center (2,171) New Rochelle, NY |
| December 11, 2022* 11:30 am, YES | | vs. St. Bonaventure Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational | W 72–57 | 6–2 | Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY |
| December 13, 2022* 7:00 pm, SNY/ESPN+ | | vs. Princeton | W 70–64 | 7–2 | Harwood Arena (496) Union, NJ |
| December 18, 2022* 6:30 pm, FS1 | | at New Mexico | L 74–82 | 7–3 | The Pit (14,354) Albuquerque, NM |
| December 22, 2022* 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. SMU Diamond Head Classic first round | L 81–85 | 7–4 | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| December 23, 2022* 4:30 pm, ESPN2/ESPNU | | vs. Seattle Diamond Head Classic | W 83–72 | 8–4 | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| December 25, 2022* 3:30 pm, ESPN2/ESPNU | | vs. Pepperdine Diamond Head Classic | W 76-66 | 9–4 | Stan Sheriff Center (3,897) Honolulu, HI |
| January 1, 2023 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Saint Peter's | W 73–55 | 10–4 (3–0) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,273) New Rochelle, NY |
| January 6, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Marist | W 84–57 | 11–4 (4–0) | McCann Arena (1,234) Poughkeepsie, NY |
| January 8, 2023 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Quinnipiac | L 58–81 | 11–5 (4–1) | M&T Bank Arena (1,262) Hamden, CT |
| January 13, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Fairfield | W 75–69 | 12–5 (5–1) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,654) New Rochelle, NY |
| January 15, 2023 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Rider | L 67–70 | 12–6 (5–2) | Hynes Athletic Center (1,828) New Rochelle, NY |
| January 20, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Manhattan | W 84–76 $^{OT}$ | 13–6 (6–2) | Draddy Gymnasium (2,345) Riverdale, NY |
| January 27, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPNU/ESPN+ | | at Siena | L 53–70 | 13–7 (6–3) | MVP Arena (7,801) Albany, NY |
| January 29, 2023 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Quinnipiac | W 78–72 | 14–7 (7–3) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,654) New Rochelle, NY |
| February 3, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPNU/ESPN3 | | Mount St. Mary's | W 81–51 | 15–7 (8–3) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,002) New Rochelle, NY |
| February 5, 2023 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Fairfield | W 70–61 | 16–7 (9–3) | Leo D. Mahoney Arena (3,605) Fairfield, CT |
| February 10, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPNU/ESPN3 | | at Canisius | W 80–59 | 17–7 (10–3) | Koessler Athletic Center (857) Buffalo, NY |
| February 12, 2023 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Niagara | W 72–55 | 18–7 (11–3) | Gallagher Center (1,102) Lewiston, NY |
| February 17, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPNU/ESPN3 | | Manhattan | W 71–60 | 19–7 (12–3) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,514) New Rochelle, NY |
| February 19, 2023 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Saint Peter's | W 73–53 | 20–7 (13–3) | Run Baby Run Arena (672) Jersey City, NJ |
| February 24, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Mount St. Mary's | W 80–68 | 21–7 (14–3) | Knott Arena (3,121) Emmitsburg, MD |
| February 26, 2023 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Siena | W 93–60 | 22–7 (15–3) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,644) New Rochelle, NY |
| March 2, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Marist | W 93–74 | 23–7 (16–3) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,455) New Rochelle, NY |
| March 4, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Rider | W 80–78 | 24–7 (17–3) | Alumni Gymnasium (1,650) Lawrenceville, NJ |
| MAAC tournament ||||||
| March 8, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | (1) | vs. (8) Mount St. Mary's Quarterfinals | W 74–54 | 25–7 | Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| March 10, 2023 6:00 pm, ESPNews | (1) | vs. (5) Niagara Semifinals | W 71–59 | 26–7 | Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| March 11, 2023 7:30 pm, ESPNU | (1) | vs. (11) Marist Championship | W 76–55 | 27–7 | Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall (3,892) Atlantic City, NJ |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 17, 2023* 4:30 pm, TBS | (13 W) | vs. (4 W) No. 10 UConn First Round | L 63–87 | 27–8 | MVP Arena (14,010) Albany, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||
Sources