The NCAA men’s basketball tournament just tipped off and it has already had a number of thrilling finishes. Friday, the games come to Albany for the first time in 20 years.
Friday’s games at MVP Arena feature 12-seed Virginia Commonwealth against 5-seed Saint Mary’s at 2 p.m., 12-seed Drake against 5-seed Miami at 7:25, and 13-seed Kent State against 4-seed Indiana at 9:55.
Kent State is coached by 1995 University at Albany graduate Rob Senderoff, who got his coaching start as a student assistant. But most of the local attention will be on 4-seed UConn’s 4:30 game against 13-seed Iona.
During shootaround Thursday, Iona was on familiar ground, since the games are being hosted by fellow Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team Siena.
Iona has a 27-7 season going under Hall of Famer Rick Pitino, who has also coached Kentucky, Louisville and the Knicks and Celtics. The Gaels have given Pitino a college hoops comeback, and it’s widely expected that he could leave whenever Iona’s season ends for one more major conference job. The 70-year-old spoke with reporters Thursday.
“The two years I was out of coaching was the most miserable two years of my life because I missed it so much,” he said. “I love teaching, I love coaching, I love motivating. Everything about it. And I missed it terribly. And that’s why I went to Greece and that was a big thing for me. So I hope I can coach for another 12 years, but I’ll take six or seven.”
On the other side, the trip to Albany is a homecoming for UConn star Andre Jackson Jr. The Amsterdam native, a junior guard and co-captain, starred at Albany Academy.
Andre Jackson, a native of Amsterdam who starred at Albany Academy, says he’s trying to keep a small circle as 4-seed UConn looks to launch a deep tourney run in Albany. But his mom says 300 friends and family are coming to Friday’s game against 13-seed Iona. pic.twitter.com/dTfQjYHygR
— Ian Pickus (@IanPickus) March 16, 2023
And as much as Jackson is focusing on Iona, having the Huskies sent to MVP Arena will give him a chance to play in front of what his mom says are 300 friends and family.
“It’s been awesome. I haven’t been too much around the city but just seeing the different places I used to be, all the little simple things, driving past the Palace Theatre when I first got here last night, it feels good to be home,” he said.
Trying to stay focused on UConn’s high hopes, Jackson took a moment to remember pickup games against his brother, UAlbany’s Marcus Jackson, who also wears No. 44.
“Anytime we got one-on-one, we would end up getting really physical. We used to play a lot with our imagination, saying, like, ‘It’s 5 seconds left on the clock, we’re both on the same team,’ and that kind of stuff,” he said. “That was definitely a lot of good memories, playing through different games in our head while we were younger and it’s kind of crazy that we’re both at the college basketball stage now.”
The winner faces VCU or St. Mary’s on Sunday.
In other regional action, 15-seed Vermont faces 2-seed Marquette in Columbus, Ohio at 2:45 Friday, and on the women’s side, 15-seed Holy Cross faces 2-seed Maryland at 2:30, 15-seed Vermont faces 2-seed UConn at 3 p.m. Saturday, and 14-seed Iona faces 3-seed Duke Saturday at 9:30. UAlbany is at UMass at 7 p.m. Friday in the WNIT.
