# 2015–16 Iona Gaels men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Iona Gaels men's basketball team represented Iona College during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gaels, led by sixth year head coach Tim Cluess, played their home games at the Hynes Athletic Center and were members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). They finished the season 22–11, 16–4 in MAAC play to finish in second place. They defeated Canisius, Siena, and Monmouth to be champions of the MAAC tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where, as a #13 seed, they lost in the first round to Iowa State.

## Previous season

The Gaels finished the 2014–15 season 26–9, 17–3 in MAAC play to win the MAAC regular season championship. Iona lost to Manhattan in the championship game of the MAAC tournament and earned an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament. In the NIT, they lost in the first round to Rhode Island.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| 11/15/2015* 2:30 pm, ESPN3 | | at Valparaiso Beaver Showcase | L 58–83 | 0–1 | Athletics–Recreation Center (2,769) Valparaiso, IN |
| 11/17/2015* 10:00 pm, P12N | | at Oregon State Beaver Showcase | L 73–93 | 0–2 | Gill Coliseum (4,344) Corvallis, OR |
| 11/20/2015* 7:00 pm | | Delaware | W 92–77 | 1–2 | Hynes Athletic Center (2,200) New Rochelle, NY |
| 12/01/2015 7:00 pm | | Fairfield | W 101–77 | 2–2 (1–0) | Hynes Athletic Center (1,621) New Rochelle, NY |
| 12/04/2015 7:00 pm | | at Marist | W 101–66 | 3–2 (2–0) | McCann Field House (1,471) Poughkeepsie, NY |
| 12/08/2015* 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Tulsa | L 81–90 | 3–3 | Reynolds Center (3,800) Tulsa, OK |
| 12/16/2015* 7:00 pm | | Texas Southern | W 83–73 | 4–3 | Hynes Athletic Center (1,326) New Rochelle, NY |
| 12/19/2015* 7:00 pm | | at Rhode Island | L 74–79 | 4–4 | Ryan Center (3,645) Kingston, RI |
| 12/22/2015* 3:00 pm | | vs. UC Santa Barbara South Point Holiday Hoops Classic | L 76–80 | 4–5 | South Point Arena (250) Enterprise, NV |
| 12/23/2015* 3:00 pm | | vs. Akron South Point Holiday Hoops Classic | L 64–78 | 4–6 | South Point Arena (225) Enterprise, NV |
| 12/28/2015* 7:00 pm | | Drexel | W 77–70 | 5–6 | Hynes Athletic Center (2,177) New Rochelle, NY |
| 01/02/2016 2:00 pm | | at Quinnipiac | W 78–66 | 6–6 (3–0) | TD Bank Sports Center (1,612) Hamden, CT |
| 01/04/2016 7:00 pm | | Niagara | W 65–42 | 7–6 (4–0) | Hynes Athletic Center (1,081) New Rochelle, NY |
| 01/07/2016 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Rider | W 67–58 | 8–6 (5–0) | Hynes Athletic Center (1,277) New Rochelle, NY |
| 01/09/2016 4:00 pm | | Marist | W 90–80 | 9–6 (6–0) | Hynes Athletic Center (1,476) New Rochelle, NY |
| 01/15/2016 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | Monmouth | L 102–110 | 9–7 (6–1) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,611) New Rochelle, NY |
| 01/17/2016 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Rider | L 75–79 | 9–8 (6–2) | Alumni Gymnasium (1,517) Lawrenceville, NJ |
| 01/22/2016 7:00 pm | | Saint Peter's | W 64–58 | 10–8 (7–2) | Hynes Athletic Center (1,250) New Rochelle, NY |
| 01/24/2016 3:30 pm | | at Fairfield | L 91–98 | 10–9 (7–3) | Webster Bank Arena (1,278) Bridgeport, CT |
| 01/29/2016 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Manhattan | W 70–56 | 11–9 (8–3) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,611) New Rochelle, NY |
| 02/01/2016 7:00 pm | | at Saint Peter's | W 64–58 | 10–8 (7–2) | Yanitelli Center (1,250) Jersey City, NY |
| 02/05/2016 7:00 pm | | at Canisius | W 84–66 | 13–9 (10–3) | Koessler Athletic Center (1,702) Buffalo, NY |
| 02/07/2016 2:00 pm | | at Niagara | W 75–61 | 14–9 (11–3) | Gallagher Center (1,154) Lewiston, NY |
| 02/13/2016 2:00 pm | | Siena | L 78–81 | 14–10 (11–4) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,611) New Rochelle, NY |
| 02/15/2016 7:00 pm | | Quinnipiac | W 78–59 | 15–10 (12–4) | Hynes Athletic Center (1,421) New Rochelle, NY |
| 02/19/2016 7:00 pm, ESPNU/ESPN3 | | at Monmouth | W 93–67 | 16–10 (13–4) | Multipurpose Activity Center (4,522) West Long Branch, NJ |
| 02/22/2016 7:00 pm | | at Siena | W 87–81 | 17–10 (14–4) | Times Union Center (6,026) Albany, NY |
| 02/26/2016 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Manhattan | W 86–72 | 18–10 (15–4) | Draddy Gymnasium (2,520) Riverdale, NY |
| 02/28/2016 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Canisius | W 86–78 | 19–10 (16–4) | Hynes Athletic Center (2,079) New Rochelle, NY |
| MAAC tournament ||||||
| 03/04/2016 9:30 pm, ESPN3 | (2) | vs. (7) Canisius Quarterfinals | W 73–55 | 20–10 | Times Union Center (1,269) Albany, NY |
| 03/06/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | (2) | vs. (3) Siena Semifinals | W 81–70 | 21–10 | Times Union Center (5,722) Albany, NY |
| 03/07/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN | (2) | vs. (1) Monmouth Championship | W 79–76 | 22–10 | Times Union Center (3,115) Albany, NY |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| 03/17/2016* 2:00 pm, TBS | (13 MW) | vs. (4 MW) No. 22 Iowa State First Round | L 81–94 | 22–11 | Pepsi Center (19,499) Denver, CO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||