The St. John’s Red Storm won the Big East Tournament Championship and are now the No. 5 seed in the East region of the 2026 March Madness bracket. St. John’s will play No. 12 Northern Iowa in the Round of 64 on Friday, March 20.
St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa opening odds
After having a rough start to the season, St. John’s turned it around once 2026 began. They have gone 19-1 in their previous 20 games, including Saturday night’s victory over the UConn Huskies in the Big East Tournament Champiosnhip. St. John’s lost in the second round last year but seems primed for a better run this time around.
Zuby Ejiofor enters March Madness this year more dangerous than ever. He averages 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest and has scored 18-plus points in his last five contests. St. John’s is No. 17 on KenPom while Northern Iowa is No. 72. The Panthers have the 24th-best defensive rating but are 153rd in offensive rating. St. John’s is 12th in defensive rating and 44th in offensive rating.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, St. John’s is -9.5 while Northern Iowa is +330 to win this game outright. The over/under is set at 130.5 points with both being -110.
The Northern Iowa Panthers beat the UIC Flames to win the Missouri Valley Conference Championship today. Northern Iowa has won five consecutive games. The Panthers have three players averaging double-digit points: Trey Campbell (13.7 PPG), Leon Bond III (11.9 PPG), and Will Hornseth (11.2 PPG).
