What, you thought we were getting through the day with only one Jimmy Patsos post? What's the matter with you?
Anyway, around eleven-and-a-half minutes into his postgame press conference following Loyola's MAAC Tournament victory (yes, the same press conference in which he compared his press defense to a 1960s radical group), Patsos turned his wide-ranging thoughts to the plight of Iona, the tournament's No.1 seed who was bumped off by Fairfield in the semifinals.
"I thought about it today," Patsos said. "Iona deserves to go [to the NCAA Tournament]. They're 38th in the RPI. They have 25 wins. They didn't back down. Tell Joe Lunardi -- all he talks about is scheduling. Well, they went and played everybody and they beat everybody. And they got two NBA players on the team."
Oh, but Patsos wasn't done there. "When it was the Missouri Valley and the CAA, they got two [bids]. Well, it's time for the MAAC to get two in, Joe Lunardi. It's OK, you know? Just because we don't have 17,000-seat arenas. I'll tell you what, Fairfield, they gave it to everybody who wanted it this year."
Regrettably, Lunardi was not there to get the full Patsos experience in person. But a quick check of Lunardi's latest Bracketology shows no sign of the Gaels, who finished 25-7 with a 15-3 conference record, a RealTimeRPI number of 40, and a strength of schedule of 143.
Oh, well, Jimmy. Can't win 'em all.
