St. John's vs. Northern Iowa Odds
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11.5 -110 | 132.5 -110o / -110u | -425 |
| Northern Iowa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11.5 -110 | 132.5 -110o / -110u | +365 |
The 2026 NCAA Tournament field has been announced and St. John's will take on Northern Iowa in Round 1 of the East region. Here's everything you need to know about St. John's vs. Northern Iowa odds, spread and more.
St. John's opened as an 11.5-point favorite over Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The total is set at over/under 132.5points scored by both teams combined.
Find out how No. 5-seeded St. John's and No. 12-seeded Northern Iowa match up ahead of their opening round matchup.
St. John's vs. Northern Iowa Analysis
St. John’s just won the Big East, and the championship game was a 20-point win over UConn — a team I had pegged as an early Final Four participant. It held the Huskies to just 52 points and forced 16 turnovers.
Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Oziyah Sellers led the way. That’s no different than the regular season, as they’re their only double-digit scoring threats.
The issue they have heading into this tournament will be depth. The good thing for its first-round matchup is that I doubt it will be an issue early on.
Northern Iowa didn’t win the regular-season Missouri Valley title, instead using an impressive run in conference to beat UIC in dominant fashion. But this team finished just sixth during the regular season, and it struggled on the glass in a lot of its games.
While the Panthers rank 64th in average size, the Johnnies rank 61st. But Rick Pitino’s squad sits 28th in offensive rebounding. Northern Iowa is outside the top 300 in that category.
UNI is fortunate to have earned a spot, and I just don’t think this matchup has much upset potential. Don’t fall into the No. 5 vs. No. 12 upset pick in this one.
–Jonathan Jorcin
For more coverage of the 2026 NCAA Tournament and Selection Sunday, make sure to check out our experts' live reactions to the bracket reveal and the Selection Sunday live show, where you can get their instant analysis on every matchup as well as some early insights to help you make your bets.
