Iona heads to Pittsburgh for 1st-round Duke matchup

<p>Iona coach Tim Cluess knows what it takes to beat Duke. He did it twice while playing for St. John's in the 70s.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

Mar 13, 2018, 11:00 PM

Updated 2,244 days ago

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Iona coach Tim Cluess knows what it takes to beat Duke. He did it twice while playing for St. John's in the 70s. 
Thirty years later, he'll try to get the Gaels to do it in the NCAA Tournament.
The Iona team boarded a bus destined for Pittsburgh Tuesday for Thursday's opening round game against No. 2-ranked Duke. 
"We can't write the story better than this. We won the conference three times in a row, so now we're playing a powerhouse like Duke. It's time to make some noise," says Iona guard Zach Lewis. 
One advantage Iona may have that it didn't the last two years is location. Instead of having to travel out west, they will play in Pennsylvania – allowing fans to see them in action. 
"It's great because our fan base can go there. It's been a while since Iona's been able to travel to a game by car rather than have to travel across the country," says Cluess. 
Iona is 0-11 in NCAA Tournament play. If they can somehow pull a miraculous upset on Thursday, it would be one for the ages.
 


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