No. 16 Iona Tabs No. 1 North Carolina In NCAA Tournament First Round

NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Earning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference automatic bid with an unprecedented fourth straight MAAC Championship title, the Iona College men's basketball team has been tabbed a 16 seed in the upcoming 2019 NCAA Championship and will face No. 1 North Carolina on Friday, Mar. 22 in the First Round of the Midwest Region. The North Carolina Tar Heels finished the regular season as Atlantic Coast Conference co-regular season champions. Head Coach Roy Williams and the program reached the ACC Tournament Championship game, losing to the Duke Blue Devils, 74-73. They have earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a record 17th time in program history. The winner of Iona versus North Carolina will advance to the second round of the tournament to play either No. 8 Utah State or No. 9 Washington. The winner of the second round game will move on to Kansas City and the Sweet Sixteen. This season marks a fourth straight and sixth overall trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Maroon & Gold under head coach Tim Cluess. Iona and North Carolina have played four times entering Friday's contest. The Gaels are 1-3 against the Tar Heels all-time. Iona defeated North Carolina on Dec. 27, 2002 at Madison Square Garden as part of the Foot Locker/MSG Holiday Festival, 65-56. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 22 at the time.