Just one year after UMBC upset Virginia, another ACC school is having a tough time with a 16-seed as Iona is making it rain from deep.
The North Carolina Tar Heels entered their matchup with the Iona Gaels as 24 point favorites, but the guys from New Rochelle are giving North Carolina everything they can handle. Iona has been right in this game from the jump and have been money from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 triples in the first half to enter the break with a 38-33 lead.
The Gaels play with essentially a six-man rotation, but they are experienced and have four players capable of creating their own shots. Iona has knocked down 10-21 three-pointers in the half, with senior Rickey McGill going 4-4 from beyond the arc to lead the team in scoring with 12.
Similar to UMBC a year ago, Iona is red hot on offense, knocking down 48.3% of their shots at the break. North Carolina has been dismal offensively, shooting just 32.5% for the game, including a dismal 3-13 from three-point land.
The Gaels have done a tremendous job slowing the pace enough against the Tar Heels to keep the game from getting out of control. There’s a long time left for North Carolina to turn things around, but the longer they let Iona hang around the more dangerous this becomes for them.
Will Iona be able to keep up this intensity and shot efficiency in the second half? Is it possible to get a No. 16 seed upsetting a No. 1 seed for the second year in a row? Will brackets be busted? Make sure you tune in for the second half on TNT.