The 2012 NCAA Tournament field has been announced, and the Iona Gaels received a surprise at-large invite as the No. 14 seed in the West Region. The Gaels' first opponent will be the No. 14 BYU Cougars, and they will play on Tuesday in Dayton, OH. (on Turner's channel TruTV). If the Gaels find a way to win their first matchup, they will face No. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles in the round of 64 on Thursday.
Iona earned the No. 14 seed by capturing an unexpected at-large bid after finishing their season (26-8). The Gaels won the regular-season title, but were beaten by the Fairfield Stags in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament earlier in the week.
Here's a look at the West Region of the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket (game times and TV schedule will be announced at a later time):
No. 1 Michigan St. Spartans vs. No. 16 Long Island U. Blackbirds, Friday
No. 8 Memphis Tigers vs. No. 9 Saint Louis Billikens, Friday
No. 5 New Mexico Lobos vs. No. 13 Long Beach St. 49ers, Thursday
No. 4 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 13 Davidson Wildcats, Thursday
No. 2 Missouri Tigers vs. No. 15 Norfolk St. Spartans, Friday
No. 7 Florida Gators vs. No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers, Friday
No. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. No. 14 BYU Cougars/Iona Gaels, Thursday
No. 6 Murray St. Racers vs. No. 11 Colorado Buffaloes, Thursday
For more coverage of Iona in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, visit SB Nation New York's StoryStream. Click here for a link to our NCAA bracket 2012.