Over this past season, the Iona men’s basketball team has teetered on fulfilling their own lofty expectations.A year removed from earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the Gaels returned several key players in seniors Lamont “Momo” Jones and Taaj Ridley, along with junior Sean Armand.

These three players have all played a significant role in what has been a roller coaster season for the Gaels in both non-conference and in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.

They have helped the team earn exciting triumphs against Georgia and Saint Bonaventure, but were stigmatized during a frustrating February that saw Iona win just one time in six attempts.

With Feb. over, Iona responded to the start of the new month with two wins against Loyola and Siena to finish the season with a 17-13 record (12-8 in MAAC play) before the start of the conference tournament.

Iona enters the tournament as the fourth seed, which means they will face the fifth seed, Canisius Golden Griffins, in the conference quarterfinals.

Every year, the MAAC tournament provides a new season for all 10 of the MAACs schools. It is essentially a new season that sees the only unbeaten side reach the NCAAs.

Going into the championship in Springfield, Mass., there are four teams that will be favored to win the MAAC over the Gaels.

This starts with Niagara, who through sophomore guards Antoine Mason and Juan’ya Green, finished first in the MAAC this regular season. The Purple Eagles will be considered favorites to win the tournament, but they could be subdued due to their lack of experience.

Niagara possesses a strong challenge for any side in the MAACs. However, Iona has already defeated them once and lost to them because of a poor performance in the final minute of their matchup in late Jan.

Another challenger for the MAAC title will be Loyola. Although the Gaels have defeated the Greyhounds twice this season, Loyola is the defending champion of the MAAC and have the talent to win the league again.

Rider will also be a highly rated side after defeating Iona earlier this season, along with both Niagara and Loyola. The Broncs are the hottest team heading into Springfield having won seven of their final eight games to close out the season.

Rider’s only loss during this stretch came against the Gaels in what was the only win for the Maroon & Gold during the month of Feb.

These squads alone do not comprise the total task at hand that will face the Gaels in the coming days. Sides like Manhattan and Marist closed out the season on a high note, which included double overtime wins over the Gaels in Feb.

Iona’s first round matchup in the tournament will come against Canisius, who the Gaels defeated in a ten-point decision at the Hynes Center, only to lose to them a month later in heart-wrenching fashion with a 77-74 loss to the Golden Griffins in Buffalo.

Ultimately for Iona, just like every other school in the MAAC, this tournament is their chance to leave a defining mark on their season.

Despite struggles and poor play at times, the Gaels season will be remembered by what happens in Springfield.

According to Armand, when Iona starts the tournament, their philosophy will be, “Winning one game at a time and knowing the regular season means nothing. We need to win by any means necessary.”

As long as the Gaels do not think too far ahead and instead focus on taking down their opponents in an organized manner, they will win the MAAC tournament, the first time that they will have done so since 2006.