NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
NO. 4 UCONN VS. NO. 13 IONA
When: Friday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: MVP Arena, Albany, N.Y.
Records: Iona 27-7, UConn 25-8
TV: TBS
Radio: UConn Sports Network, WAVZNew Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Wilimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973
KEEP AN EYE ON
Mirror images: Iona is an athletic, hardnosed team that likes to shoot 3’s and has good size upfront. The Gaels have had a miserable January and a 14-game winning streak in the same season. They even have a 7-footer coming off the bench. Sound familiar?
In some ways, the Gaels are a mirror image of the UConn men’s basketball team. The difference, of course, is overall talent. The Huskies boast a potential 2023 first-round draft pick in Jordan Hawkins, a two-time All-Big East firstteam center in Adama Sanogo and another potential future NBA-er in Andre Jackson. Their 7-footer off the bench, Bristol’s Donovan Clingan, was the MVP of the competitive PK Invitational in November and is yet another potential future NBA player.
As Quinnipiac coach Baker Dunleavy told ctinsider.com earlier this week, “UConn can, I think, do what Iona does better than Iona.”
Iona’s ace in the hole, of course, is its head coach — who just might be the best coach of his generation. Rick Pitino, even at 70, is still as well-prepared and as good a game coach as anyone in the country. He won’t score a basket, make a pass or block a shot on Friday, but he may be the Gaels’ best bet to pull off an upset.
Even ask his eternal adversary, Jim Calhoun.
“He’s a terrific coach, his teams are going to win,” Calhoun told ctinsider.com. “He’s always been able to get players, he’s always turned them into better than when they came. He doesn’t have to be my best friend, but I will and do have great respect for him as a coach.”
But Calhoun sees what most others see.
“UConn is a better team, more size up front,” he said. “I’m sure Rick will make it interesting. One thing we know, his team will be well-prepared. Conversely, when we open the court up, that’s when we’re at our best. So, it should be very interesting.”