Rick Pitino, head coach of the Iona men’s basketball team, announced the team’s 2021-2022 full season schedule on Sept. 9.  

Fresh off their recent tour of Greece, during which they went up against several different teams from the professional Greek Basket League, the Gaels have announced that they will play 11 nonconference games in addition to 20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games. .  

Iona will not play a true away game outside of MAAC play this season, in addition to playing at all three major New York venues: Barclays Arena, Madison Square Garden and the new UBS Arena.  

The Gaels will also face up to six scheduled or potential opponents who appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2021.  

The Hynes Athletic Center will also host two preseason events. One will be an open Maroon and Gold scrimmage on Oct. 15, which will be a part of Iona College’s Homecoming and Reunion Weekend. The other is an exhibition match against Adelphi University on Oct. 30.  

The Gaels will begin their regular season campaign with three straight home games against Appalachian State on Nov. 9, Harvard on Nov. 13 and Hofstra on Nov. 16.  

Iona will then travel to Florida where they will play five games in 10 days. They will kick off this tour against 2021 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Liberty University on Nov. 19. The Gaels will then play the following day against an opponent which is yet to be determined.  

The Gaels will complete their trip to Disney at the ESPN Events Invitational, which begins on Nov. 25, Thanksgiving evening, against Alabama. The final two games of this tournament will be on Nov. 26 and Nov. 28, with the first game against either Drake or Belmont, and the following matchup against Dayton, Miami or North Texas.  

Next up for the Gaels will be the MAAC opening weekend, where Iona will make the trip to Marist on Dec. 1 before they host Rider on Dec. 4.  

After a nine-day break, Iona will then wrap up nonconference play with an NYC Arena Tour. The Gaels play Yale on Dec. 12 at the Barclays Center as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.  

Iona then takes on tri-state area rivals Seton Hall on Dec. 18 at Madison Square Garden as part of the Gotham Classic. The Gaels will conclude their nonconference play against the University of Delaware at UBS Arena on Dec. 21.  

The Gaels then play their remaining 18 MAAC regular season games before the 2022 MAAC Championship, which is scheduled from March 8 to March 12 in Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey. 

Pitino’s arrival in New Rochelle has already given Iona a national level of exposure. This recognition is expected to increase in the upcoming season when the Gaels play some big names in nonconference play such as Alabama, Drake, Liberty and Seton Hall.  

The Gaels will look to elevate themselves from a team that perennially concludes their season with a first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament to a squad that could really shake things up in the postseason. These nonconference games against higher levels of competition should only help the team improve their play.