March Madness: 3 keys for St. John's vs. Northern Iowa
St. John's Dillon Mitchell reacts late in the second half of the Big East men’s basketball tournament final against the UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2026. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
SAN DIEGO — St. John’s (28-6) will meet Northern Iowa (23-12) on Friday in an East Regional first-round game at 7:10 p.m. ET at Viejas Arena. Here are three keys for the Red Storm to come out with a win against the Panthers:
1. Dictate the pace of the game
St. John’s likes to play fast and wants a game in which the winning team is in the 80s or 90s. UNI ranks 363rd of 365 in Division I in pace and wants a game in the 50s or 60s.
2. Rebound on the offensive glass
The Red Storm have been good at this — and getting second-chance points — all season and rank 26th in the country in offensive rebounds per game. The Panthers are one of the country’s 30 best at ending opponent possessions with a defensive rebound.
3. Take care of the ball
If this game ends up being played at Northern Iowa’s pace, there will be far fewer possessions than St. John’s is used to. That magnifies the importance of every one. St. John’s can’t waste them with turnovers.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
