March Madness: 3 things to know about Northern Iowa, St. John's first-round opponent
Northern Iowa's Trey Campbell holds the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after defeating UIC in the Missouri Valley Tournament championship on Sunday in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
No. 5 seed St. John's will face No. 12 seed Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday at 7:10 p.m. Eastern. Here are three things to know about St. John's opponent:
1. Automatic bid
Northern Iowa won four games in four days at its conference tournament to earn the automatic bid. As the sixth-place finisher with an 11-9 conference record, it had to play an outbracket game to reach the quarterfinals. It won a quarterfinal against third-seeded Illinois State and a semifinal against second-seeded Bradley, but didn’t have to play regular-season champion Belmont in the final after it suffered a quarterfinal upset. Instead, UNI beat No. 5 UIC, 84-69, to make the Big Dance.
2. Taking it slow
The Panthers play one of the slowest-paced styles in the country. In adjusted tempo, according to Kenpom.com, UNI ranks 363rd out of 365 Division I teams with only 62 possessions per 40 minutes. It ranks 24th in defensive efficiency and allows the fewest points per game in the country: 61.3.
3. Been there, done that
Northern Iowa has some NCAA Tournament upset history as well as humiliation. In 2010, it took out No. 1 Kansas as a No. 9 seed in the second round. In its last appearance, in 2016, it blew a 12-point lead against Texas A&M with less than 40 seconds to play in regulation and lost in double overtime.
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.
