No. 16 seed Iona gives No. 1 North Carolina a scare but runs out of gas in second half
North Carolina's Garrison Brooks drives to the basket against Iona's Rickey McGill during the second half of a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday. Credit: AP/Paul Vernon
COLUMBUS, Ohio — At least Iona’s players will not have to wonder forever. They won’t be trapped in not knowing how they would have done had they given their best.
They emptied their tank against title-chasing No. 1 seed North Carolina, only to see that the Tar Heels have a much larger tank. Quickly wiping out a five-point halftime deficit with its array of size and blue-chip talent, North Carolina cruised to an 88-73 win over the 16th-seeded team from New Rochelle on Friday night in the East Regional.
Iona started very strongly, earning loads of support from the crowd at Nationwide Arena. The Gaels’ first half might have inspired some dreams and some memories of last year’s upset by UMBC over Virginia, the only one by a 16 seed over a No. 1.
“Of course I watched it,” Iona’s Tajuan Agee said Thursday. “It happened before, it can happen again. We’re going to play our hearts out and we’re going to give it our all.”
Coach Tim Cluess’ team did just that, for as long as it could. Then North Carolina (28-6) turned on the power, outscoring Iona in the paint 48-10.
Cameron Johnson had 21 points and Nassir Little added 19 for North Carolina. Iona’s Rickey McGill scored 26 and received applause from both Iona and North Carolina fans as he left the game.
What did the Tar Heels tell McGill on the postgame handshake line? “They told me, heck of a game,’’ he said. “Keep going, never quit.”
Before a long shot can even think about being a proverbial Cinderella, it must meet the first requirement: Don’t get blown out. There is an achievement in keeping it close. Seeing the ball go through the basket a few times does wonders for a No. 16 seed’s confidence, and it might get No. 1 worried a little.
North Carolina, which has never lost a first-round game, was aware of the perils. A day before the game, Johnson cited the strengths of the underdog from the New York suburbs: “They’ve won 10 straight. They shoot the ball well, they like to get up and down. They have some guys who like to score the ball.”
Iona (17-16) did all of those things in the first half, pulling ahead by eight late in the period. They were outrebounded 28-16, but the way the Gaels were shooting, they didn’t need rebounds. They made 10 of 21 three-pointers, including 4-for-4 by McGill. At the break, they led 38-33.
Before the game, McGill had summed up the outlook: “Just give it your all. All or nothing. We’ve got to play 40 minutes. It’s a big game for us, bigger than any other game we’ve played this season. Just come out and try to get a win.”
That was the second key: Don’t be happy just to be here. Go for it. Cluess tells his players, “Don’t die wondering,” as in don’t spend the rest of your life pondering what might have happened if only you had given it your all and done your very best.
Said Cluess, “I think they gave us everything they could, on both ends of the floor. They have nothing at all to be ashamed of. I told them they should hold their heads high. I’m extremely proud of how they played this year, Iona is extremely proud of it and hopefully everyone who watched us play enjoyed what they saw.”
