St. John’s Red Storm vs. Northern Iowa Panthers odds, predictions, and betting tips – A Possible Upset Spot

St. John’s heads into the tournament coming off a Big East Tournament win, and Northern Iowa is coming off a Missouri Valley Tournament win. 

St. John’s is looking to avenge a Round of 32 loss last season, while Northern Iowa is back in the tournament for the first time in a decade. 

Let’s examine this matchup below.

St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa best bets

• Leon Bond 1+ 3-Point Shots – -245 with FanDuel
• Zuby Ejiofor 20+ Points – +145 with BetMGM
• Zuby Ejiofor Over 24.5 Points+Rebounds – -113 with FanDuel

St. John’s is coming off a win in the Big East Tournament over UConn, beating them by 20, 72-52. They have three players averaging double digits, led by Zuby Ejiofor and his 16.3 per game. In all, six players average 8.2 points per game or more.

The Red Storm are 44th in offensive efficiency (120.0) and 12th in defensive efficiency (12). 

As for Northern Iowa, they took down UIC in the Missouri Valley Tournament final, beating them 84-69. They also have three players averaging double-digit points and five averaging 9.1 points per game or more.

They also have numerous players shooting 34.5% or better from beyond the arc. Their leading scorer is Trey Campbell at 13.7 points per game.

They’re 155th in offensive efficiency (109.8) and 24th in defensive efficiency (98.3).

St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa preview

While St. John’s has clearly the better offense, I wouldn’t sleep on the multiple 3-point shooters Northern Iowa has. Also, Campbell is shooting 53.1% on 2-point shots. 

Where I think St. John’s could run into problems is Northern Iowa’s defense and their pace of play. They hold teams to under 29% shooting from beyond the arc. They’re also one of the four slowest teams in terms of possessions per game, averaging 65.3 per game. 

So, between their perimeter defense and ability to slow the game down, I’ll take the points with the Panthers.

St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa tips

Find the latest odds for St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa courtesy of FanDuel. Odds are subject to change.

Leon Bond 1+ 3-Point Shot

This first one is kind of a “gimme,” but Bond is averaging 1.3 made 3-point shots per game and is shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc. 

St. John’s has done well defending the perimeter, holding teams to just 31.3%, so that’s why I’m skeptical of going much more than this in this category. 

He’s had one made 3-point basket or more in three of his last five games. 

Bond will have at least one.

Back Leon Bond to have 1 3-point shot or more against St. John’s at -245 with FanDuel

Zuby Ejiofor 20+ Points

With how slow NIU is, I’m a bit skeptical of this, but the odds have value, and he’s been on a roll recently. 

Averaging just over 16 points per game, Ejiofor has had 20 points or more in four of his last five games. 

The Panthers are allowing teams to shoot 50% on 2-point shots, and that’s Ejiofor’s bread and butter. 

Given his recent run, the Red Storm may look to him even more against a slow-paced NIU squad.

Back Zuby Ejiofor to have 20 points or more against NIU at +145 with BetMGM

Zuby Ejiofor Over 24.5 Points+Rebounds

I’ll hedge the bet above and also take Ejiofor to combine for 25 rebounds and points. Based on the wager above, if he gets to 20 points, he’ll only need five boards. He’s accomplished that in 27 of 34 games this season. Even if he falls a bit short of 20 points, he averages 7.1 rebounds per game. 

Northern Iowa is not known for its rebounding, averaging 31.7 per game, which is 313th in college basketball. 

I feel a lot better about this one than the pure points, but he should finish near 20 either way, making the remaining rebounds and an easier goal.

Back Zuby Ejiofor to have 25 points and rebounds or more against NIU at -113 with FanDuel

St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa injury report

Below are the key injuries to report ahead of this contest.

St. John’s Red Storm

• Out: Casper Pohto (guard) – hip; Imran Suljanovic (forward) – knee
• Questionable: Kelvin Odih (guard) – leg
• Doubtful: N/A

Northern Iowa Panthers

• Out: N/A
• Questionable: Chase Courbat (forward) – undisclosed; Marino Dubravcic (forward) – undisclosed; Cade Courbat (guard) – undisclosed.
• Doubtful: N/A

St. John’s vs. Northern Iowa game info

• Date: Friday, March 20, 2026
• Time: 4:10 pm ET
• Venue: Viejas Arena in San Diego, California
• Where to watch: CBS

About the author

Richard Janvrin

Richard Janvrin brings nearly a decade of experience covering sports, sports betting, and everything iGaming. Richard received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism/English from the University of New Hampshire. Throughout his career, Richard has written for sites like Bleacher Report, Forbes, The Game Day, WSN, Gambling.com, and many more.

Find him on Twitter: @RichardJanvrin

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