The Northern Iowa Panthers and St. John’s Red Storm meet Friday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament at the Viejas Arena. Here’s a St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa Prediction. This article will include a St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa Pick.
Northern Iowa Panthers Betting Preview
The Northern Iowa Panthers beat Bradley and UIC. Northern Iowa has won 5 straight games.
The Northern Iowa Panthers are averaging 69.3 points on 46.9 percent shooting and allowing 61.2 points on 40.8 percent shooting. Trey Campbell is averaging 13.7 points and 3.9 assists, while Leon Bond III is averaging 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. Will Hornseth is the third double-digit scorer and Ben Schwieger is dishing 1.9 assists. The Northern Iowa Panthers are shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc and 69.8 percent from the free throw line. The Northern Iowa Panthers are allowing 28.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 28.4 rebounds per game.
St. John’s Red Storm Betting Preview
The St. John’s Red Storm beat Seton Hall and UConn. St. John’s has won 6 straight games.
The St. John’s Red Storm are averaging 81.6 points on 45.4 percent shooting and allowing 70 points on 42.1 percent shooting. Zuby Ejiofor is averaging 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds, while Bryce Hopkins is averaging 13.5 points and 2 assists. Oziyah Sellers is the third double-digit scorer, and Ian Jackson is dishing 1.2 assists. The St. John’s Red Storm are shooting 33.2 percent from beyond the arc and 72.7 percent from the free throw line. The St. John’s Red Storm are allowing 31.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34.7 rebounds per game.
Why the St. John’s Red Storm will win
- St. John’s has won each of its last 17 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Northern Iowa has lost each of its last five games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
- St. John’s has won the first half in each of its last nine games against non-Conference opponents.
Why the Northern Iowa Panthers will win
- Northern Iowa has won each of its last five games.
- St. John’s has lost five of its last six day games played at neutral venues.
- Northern Iowa has won the first half in five of its last six day games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of St. John’s last 20 day games has produced a total of 132+ points.
- Each of Northern Iowa’s last five games against AP-ranked opponents has produced a total of 146+ points.
Matchup/League Facts
- St. John’s ranks T11th among Division 1 teams for free throw attempts per game this season (26.2).
- St. John’s ranks T16th among Division 1 teams for free throws made per game this season (19.0).
- Northern Iowa ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent points per game this season (61.3).
- Northern Iowa ranks 364th among Division 1 teams for free throws made per game this season (9.8).
St. John’s vs Northern Iowa Prediction
Northern Iowa is one of the best defensive teams in the tournament and that could be enough to allow it to hang around. The problem is Northern Iowa is painfully slow offensively and doesn’t score much. Against a physical St. John’s defense, the Panthers are sure to have issues scoring in the half court.
St. John’s is simply the more balanced team and is obviously the more battle-tested team coming out of the Big East. Northern Iowa won’t be able to score in this game, making it one of the more boring first-round matches. Give me another point or so and I’d give Northern Iowa a more serious look. Just under a full 10 points, I have to roll with St. John’s.