2018–19 Iona Gaels men's basketball team

2018–19 Iona Gaels men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Record17–16 (12–6 MAAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Eric Eaton
  • Tra Arnold
  • Ricky Johns
Home arenaHynes Athletic Center
2018–19 MAAC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Iona 12 6   .667 17 16   .515
Canisius 11 7   .611 15 17   .469
Quinnipiac 11 7   .611 16 15   .516
Rider 11 7   .611 16 15   .516
Siena 11 7   .611 17 16   .515
Monmouth 10 8   .556 14 21   .400
Manhattan 8 10   .444 11 21   .344
Marist 7 11   .389 12 19   .387
Saint Peter's 6 12   .333 10 22   .313
Fairfield 6 12   .333 9 22   .290
Niagara 6 12   .333 13 19   .406
2019 MAAC tournament winner

The 2018–19 Iona Gaels men's basketball team represented Iona College during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gaels were led by ninth-year head coach Tim Cluess, and played their home games at the Hynes Athletic Center in New Rochelle, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). They finished the regular season 17–16 overall, 12–6 in MAAC play, to win the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the 2019 MAAC tournament, they defeated No. 9 seed Saint Peter's, No. 5 seed Siena and No. 6 seed Monmouth 81–60, to become champions of the MAAC tournament for a record fourth consecutive time. They earned the MAAC's automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA tournament, receiving a 16 seed in the Midwest region, and facing No. 1 seed North Carolina in the first round. Iona led 38–33 at the half, while making 10-of-21 three-pointers. But North Carolina opened the second half on a 25–7 run, leading by as many as 20, en route to an 88–73 victory. Iona's 15 made three-point field goals are the most ever by a North Carolina opponent in its NCAA tournament history of 171 games.