# 2020–21 Iona Gaels men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Iona Gaels men's basketball team represented Iona College in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gaels, led by first-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. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 12–6, 6–3 in MAAC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. As the No. 9 seed in the MAAC tournament, they defeated Quinnipiac, Siena, and Niagara to advance to the tournament championship game. They defeated Fairfield to win the tournament championship and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. They received a No. 15 seed in the East region, and lost in the first round to No. 2 seed Alabama 55–68.
The Gaels marked the fifth team Pitino had taken to the NCAA Tournament, tying him with Lon Kruger and Tubby Smith, for the record for most teams taken to the tournament.

## Previous season

The Gaels finished the 2019–20 season 12–17, 9–11 in MAAC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the MAAC tournament, they defeated Canisius, before losing to Saint Peter's in the quarterfinals.
Following the season, head coach Tim Cluess stepped down as head coach of the Gaels due to health concerns. A day later, the school named Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino the Gaels' new head coach.

## Schedule and results

On February 22, 2021, the Iona men's basketball team was placed on another COVID-19 pause due to a player testing positive for the virus the previous day. The school effectively canceled their remaining five conference games, but participated in the MAAC Tournament.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 30, 2020* 9:00 pm, FS1 | | at Seton Hall | L 64–86 | 0–1 | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| December 5, 2020* 4:00 pm, FloSports | | at Hofstra | W 82–74 | 1–1 | Mack Sports Complex Hempstead, NY |
| December 8, 2020* 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Morgan State | L 72–83 | 1–2 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| December 11, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Fairfield | W 70–42 | 2–2 (1–0) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, CT |
| December 12, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Fairfield | L 52–67 | 2–3 (1–1) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, CT |
| December 18, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Rider | W 70–56 | 3–3 (2–1) | Alumni Gymnasium Lawrenceville, NJ |
| December 19, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Rider | W 72–64 | 4–3 (3–1) | Alumni Gymnasium Lawrenceville, NJ |
| December 23, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Coppin State | W 85–65 | 5–3 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| February 12, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Manhattan | W 85–67 | 6–3 (4–1) | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| February 13, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Manhattan | L 70–77 | 6–4 (4–2) | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| February 17, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Quinnipiac | L 70–74 | 6–5 (4–3) | People's United Center Hamden, CT |
| February 19, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | Monmouth | W 91–86 | 7–5 (5–3) | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| February 20, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Monmouth | W 88–65 | 8–5 (6–3) | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| February 24, 2021 5:00 pm | | at Marist | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | McCann Arena Poughkeepsie, NY |
| February 27, 2021 2:00 pm | | Siena | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| February 28, 2021 6:00 pm | | Siena | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| March 4, 2021 4:00 pm | | Saint Peter's | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| March 5, 2021 4:00 pm | | Saint Peter's | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, NY |
| MAAC tournament ||||||
| March 9, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | (9) | vs. (8) Quinnipiac First round | W 72–48 | 9–5 | Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| March 10, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | (9) | vs. (1) Siena Quarterfinals | W 55–52 | 10–5 | Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| March 12, 2021 5:30 pm, ESPNews | (9) | vs. (5) Niagara Semifinals | W 70–64 | 11–5 | Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| March 13, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPNU | (9) | vs. (7) Fairfield Championship | W 60–51 | 12–5 | Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 20, 2021 4:00 pm, TBS | (15 E) | vs. (2 E) No. 5 Alabama First Round | L 55–68 | 12–6 | Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||
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