Northern Iowa Panthers vs St. John's Red Storm Picks and Predictions for Friday, March 20, 2026
Use Code WWWC The Northern Iowa Panthers will be in San Diego, CA, Friday night for a 7:00 PM match-up against the St. John's Red Storm in the first round of the NCAA tournament, and we have you ready to roll with our Northern Iowa vs St. John’s prediction. Northern Iowa finished the regular season with 23 wins and 12 losses overall. St. John's finished the year with 28 wins and six losses. Northern Iowa comes into the big dance running hot, riding a lengthy winning streak after a 15-point victory in their last outing. Saint John is on fire heading into the NCAA tournament, riding a long winning streak after a 20-point victory over Connecticut in their last outing. Read more about this M Northern Iowa vs St. John’s prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
Northern Iowa tries to stay hot
The Northern Iowa offense is averaging 69.9 points on 48% shooting from the floor this season. Defensively, the Panthers are allowing 61.3 points per game this season and have given an average of 6.4 points per game over their last five wins. Northern Iowa dominated in their last game on the offensive end, pouring in 84 points on 63% shooting, 52% from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Panthers did the job, giving up to 69 points on 44% shooting. Northern Iowa won the rebounding battle by 4 and forced 5 turnovers to seal the victory.
Trey Campbell leads the Northern Iowa offense this season with 13.7 points and 3.9 assists. Leon Bond III is second on the team, averaging 11.9 points, and Will Hornseth averages 11.2 points per game. Tristan Smith averages 9.1 points to go along with the team-leading 5.1 rebounds per game.
Key Injury Report for Northern Iowa:
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- Chase Courbat (Questionable) – Undisclosed
- Marino Dubravcic (Questionable) – Undisclosed
- Cade Courbat (Questionable) – Undisclosed
St. John’s tries to extend winning streak
Offensively, St. John's has been phenomenal this season, averaging 81.6 points on 45% shooting. Defensively, the Red Storm are allowing 70 points per game this season and have given up an average of 65.2 points per game over their last five wins. The St. John's defense did the work in their last outing, giving up just 52 points on 34% shooting for the floor. Offensively, St. John's was the better team, scoring 72 points on 48% shooting. St. John's lost the rebounding battle but forced 16 turnovers to seal the victory. Zuby Ejiofor led the way for the St. John's offense in their last outing with 18 points and 9 rebounds on 11 shots.
Zuby Ejiofor leads the St. John's offense this season, averaging 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Bryce Hopkins is second on the team, adding 13.5 points, and Oziyah Sellers averages a third-best 10.7 points per game. Ian Jackson is averaging 9.6 points in just over 18 minutes per game.
Key Injury Report for St. John’s:
- Kelvin Odih (Questionable) –Leg
- Casper Pohto (Out) – Hip
- Imran Suljanovic (Out) - Knee
Northern Iowa vs St. John’s Pick
- Northern Iowa vs St. John’s Spread Pick
Both teams have found a ton of success thus far this season, but St. John's is the far better team in this matchup. Look for the Red Storm to dominate this game on both sides of the ball, leading to an easy victory in round one. Take St. John's to continue their winning ways Friday night as they get a blowout win and cover against Northern Iowa in San Diego
- Northern Iowa vs St. John’s Over/Under Pick
St. John's averages more than 80 points per game, but defends at a high rate. Northern Iowa, on the other hand, averages less than 70 and has one of the best defenses in the country. Look for a slow-moving grind-out game Friday night in San Diego. Take the Red Storm to make the plays and get the win and cover, but the number will go well under the total in this matchup.
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