Iona beat Fairfield 60-51 in the MAAC title to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, marking the program's fifth appearance in the last six years.

Iona head coach also Rick Pitino became the third coach in college basketball history to lead five different teams to the NCAA tournament. 

"I'm just really pleased to be at Iona. When you grow up in New York, I grew up on 26th Street, on the East Side of Manhattan. I lived in Queens, I lived in Long Island, I lived in Westchester when I was the Knick coach. I'm New York strong all the way through, and it means a lot to be at Iona," said Pitino after the game.

Iona were a nine-seed in the tournament, despite being third in the league.

Pitino was hired March 14th last year, his first college job since leaving Louisville.