On Wednesday, it was announced that future Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino won the Coach of the Year Award for the Metro Atlantic Coast Conference this season. It was very deserving, as Pitino led the Iona Gaels to a 17-3 record in conference, winning the regular season conference. They were 25-6 overall and the likely team to make the NCAA Tournament out of their mid-major conference.

All that changed on Wednesday night as Iona was upset by the Rider Broncos, 71-70. It was a massive upset, with even larger potential implications. Rider entered the game 13-18 on the season, and the #9 seed in the Metro Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. No one saw this coming.

Most years, this conference would only earn one bid into the NCAA Tournament next week. It's simply not a good enough conference otherwise. But now Pitino and his Iona Gaels are sitting squarely on the bubble. Their bubble might have just pop with this loss though.

Whoever ends up winning the conference tournament will garner the automatic berth in the NCAA's. So, the question then remains is Iona's resume good enough for an at-large big. Most pundits do not think so.

In October of 2017, Louisville's board voted unanimously fire Pitino amid a massive scandal. Louisville was part of an FBI investigation into a play-for-pay scheme that saw the family of a Cardinal recruit earn $100,000. Pitino was also rumored to be involved with much more sinister actions as well, none of which were proven in court.

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However, Pitino himself eventually acknowledged that he should have been fired. After leading a Greek club to back-to-back championships, he took the job at Iona. In just his second year there, he appears to have turned that program around. But this loss is a big step back, as it looks unlikely they will make the tournament of 68.