St. John’s men’s basketball pummels Northern Iowa in NCAA Tournament opener
The Johnnies smothered the Panthers all game long to move on to the Round of 32 for a second straight year
Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; St. John's Red Storm forward Dillon Mitchell (1) dunks against Northern Iowa Panthers forward Ben Schwieger (7) in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images The Viejas Arena crowd in San Diego didn’t even get the opportunity to entertain the thought of a 5-12 seed upset before St.
John’s ran away with their first-round game on Friday night. Picking up where they left off from their Big East Tournament title , the fifth-seed Red Storm began their road to Indianapolis with a 79-53 thrashing of 12-seed Northern Iowa to advance to the Big Dance’s Round of 32. St.
John’s took Northern Iowa out of their comfort zone of slow-tempo, grind-it-out basketball from the opening tip-off, jumping out to a 13-0 run and never relenting. Friday’s game marked the Red Storm’s fourth consecutive contest in which they had an 8-0 start or better. The Johnnies led by double-digits for 37 minutes and 45 seconds and never let their lead fall within a baker’s dozen after Dillon Mitchell’s old-fashioned three-point play, sparked by a steal and breakaway dunk at the 17:15 mark.
Northern Iowa’s 24th-ranked KenPom defense was diced up by St. John’s inside and outside in the first half. The Red Storm went 16-of-29 from the floor (55.