NCAA Brackets 2012: Why Iona Is This Season's VCU

Although many question Iona even reaching the NCAA Tournament, the team will be this year's version of VCU.

A year ago, the VCU Rams were one of the last at-large teams selected into the NCAA Tournament field. They were forced to play in the first ever at-large opening round, giving the team an extra obstacle towards a successful postseason.

The team stuck together and rattled off five straight wins to reach the school's first ever Final Four.

While this was an unlikely occurrence, do not be surprised when Iona recreates this feat a year later as a No. 14 seed.

The Gaels open their tournament on Tuesday night against BYU. If they are successful, they go on to face a tough, veteran team in Marquette.

Fortunately, Iona is exactly the type of team that can give opponents fits, especially without extra time for scouting.

Iona runs a very fast-paced game and tries to shoot as quickly as possible. This pace helped the team become the nation's best offense at 83.3 points per game, but they are also second in the nation at converting 50.4 percent of their field goals. 

Individually, point guard Scott Machado leads the country in assists and Mike Glover is a legitimate force up front. 

As much talent as Marquette has, the Golden Eagles struggled in the Big East Tournament when Louisville controlled the pace, leading to 26 turnovers and a loss.

If the Iona shooters can get hot over the course of the next couple of weeks, the Gaels have the talent to shock a few teams on the way to at least the Sweet 16, maybe more.