Use this thread to talk about anything game-related. For away games, we'll have a separate travel thread.

Date: December 10th, 2016 2:00 PM

Opponent: Iona  (5-3)

Site: Hynes Athletic Center

TV: None

Radio: Ohio Radio or on TuneIn Radio

Webcast: ESPN3.com

Iona media guide, statistics and roster

Fan site:   IonaHoops.com

The Gaels were 16.5 pt favorites and they ended up losing by 16. Yikes.

This scenario is reminiscent of the situation we encountered with Marshall. They were coming off a 41 point pasting ( as only a 12 pt. dog), and were just waiting for a chance to rid themselves of that bad taste.
Hopefully, we learned a valuable lesson in Huntington.

OUr team will win games they execute in. We will lose if we don't execute. It's as simple as that. Defensively against Marshall we didn't execute any semblance of a defense and when it came to offense we were too free and loose with our offense. If this team executes and plays hard, we can beat anybody.

By the way, Iona has a pretty active message board (link in original post) that gives you a pretty good look at their team.

Iona gets a 90-73 win over what looks like a bad Fairleigh Dickinson team last night.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?game...

I'm really looking forward to Saturday's game, which I plan to attend; I live about an hour away from New Rochelle. It will be quite an environment as this gym is a bandbox. This could turn out to be a showcase for Ohio for tournament time, with the amount of media in the area who may pay attention. WFAN radio's Mike Francesa always keeps a keen eye on this type of match up when it involves a winning New York area college team. Also, I would expect a large contingent of pro scouts in attendance to watch Tony Campbell. It figures to be an up tempo game against a guard-oriented Iona team. I'm really intrigued and excited to see how this Ohio team progresses. I've seen every Bobcat squad since the 1971-72 season and this one, to me, has the growth potential to be a special team.

As a lifelong Bullets fan I'm going to say Rick Mahorn and Beef Brothers.

I have an unfair advantage

Yes, Bobcat, Jeff Ruland helped to put Iona College on the map. Before that, he played at Sachem High School in Suffolk County, Long Island, and literally exploded between his junior and senior season. I was one of two high school beat writers at the time for Newsday, so I got to chronicle Jeff's recruitment as a senior, when he averaged more then 30 points and became a high school all-American.

Every big name college coach you can think of came to see him play, and his final three were Indiana, Kentucky and Iona. This was serious stuff. Jeff said he was getting threats over the phone if he chose Indiana over Kentucky or visa versa. Jim Valvano and his top recruiter, Tom Abatemarco, were relentless in their recruitment and they got him. Stunned almost everyone. What helped their cause was successfully getting two all-Long Island guards the previous recruiting class, Babylon's Glenn Vickers and North Babylon's Kevin Hamilton.

Iona' peaked for the three in the 1979-80 season when it soundly beat No. 1-ranked Louisville in Madison Square Garden, went 29-5 and climbed to No. 19 in the national ranks. Jeff eventually began his pro career in Europe, then came back to become an all-star in the NBA. I was covering pro hoops by that time, so I saw a lot of him and his sidekick, Rick Mahorn, during their Washington Bullets days. It always was an experience me for conversing with them prior to games; truly a pair of funny, physical guys.

are you sure about that?

This was the game I picked for us to lose in my prediction thread as it seemed about the right time for a slip up and, of course, Iona is a good team that we are playing at their place. Actually, I feel a bit better about it now. Gotta think our focus and anger will be ratcheted up after our last road outing.
Just stick to our D plan and even when they are hot, know that their shooting will come back to the mean... That and since Iona isn't an especially big team, I am thinking this is a good game for Gavin to get his.

Go Bobcats!

Woulda hated to be that janitor.