There were two huge collapses last night in the first two games of the "First Four" in Dayton. The first was bad, the second was historic.
I picked Western Kentucky and Iona to win. I split.
Western Kentucky fought back from 16 back and finished the game on a 22-5 run to close out the season for Mississippi Valley State, 59-58. Oh, did I mention they erased a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes?
Iona, on the other hand, looked like they couldn't be stopped in their game with BYU. They were up by as many as 25 points in the first half before settling for a 15-point cushion going into the half. Once the second half started, it looked like a different team out there for the Gaels. They were playing slow, seemingly trying to take the air out of the ball and kill the clock with long possessions. That isn't who they are and that isn't what got them here. BYU took advantage, biting off little chunks of the lead before claiming the 78-72 win.
Moving on to the baseball diamond...
Northeast Game of the Day
Iona (3-10) at Stony Brook (7-5)
Iona is reeling, having lost 6 of their last 7, but are coming off a W against bad Temple squad. They're struggling to score runs, averaging just under 4 runs per game while their pitching has allowed almost double that. They did beat Michigan down in Florida but also lost to them three times and were outscored in the series 27-16.
Stony Brook on the other hand is dominating on the mound once again. They swept through the four-game Colonel Round Robin held by Nicholls State during their first game action, yielding only 9 runs. East Carolina beat them 1-0, 2-1, and 4-3. They just got back from the Metrodome, where they split with Minnesota and Kansas. So they've been playing some pretty good teams and have held their own.
This is a tricky one to call. Iona underachieves and Stony Brook can't "play down" to them.
VERDICT: Stony Brook 8, Iona 2
