The two key Northern Iowa traits that make it intriguing St. John’s opponent in March Madness

Tempo could go a long way in determining how St. John’s opening-round NCAA Tournament game goes Friday against No. 12 seed Northern Iowa.

The Missouri Valley Conference champions, who finished sixth in the quality mid-major league during the regular season, play at one of the slowest paces in the nation.

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They don’t go after offensive rebounds, and they lead the nation in fewest points allowed (61.3). The Johnnies, the No. 5 seed in the East Region, are the opposite. They are at their best in transition by creating live-ball turnovers and pressuring the ball.

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It is what makes this matchup so interesting.

“The pace of the game is the most important thing,” a Division I assistant coach who faced Northern Iowa this season and is familiar with St. John’s said in a phone interview. “If it’s slowed down and you’re playing a possession game, that would favor Northern Iowa because they’re going to be able to run their stuff and get cleaner looks. They’re not the type of team that wants to battle back from being down.

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“They want it to be a back-and-forth game at a slower tempo.”

Led by longtime coach Ben Jacobson, the Panthers play a pack-line defense, the same system made famous at Virginia by Tony Bennett. They pack the paint and look to cut off driving lanes, daring the opposition to beat them from the perimeter. Northern Iowa is still third nationally in 3-point defense (28.9 percent). The Panthers are small — their tallest starter is 6-foot-8 forward Will Hornseth.

“Defensively, they’re really good at not necessarily turning you over, but making it really, really hard on you by packing the paint and forcing you to try and make jump shots,” the coach said. “People fall into the trap with pack-line defenses like they run, of…

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Publish date : 2026-03-18 04:31:00

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