The St. John’s Red Storm and legendary head coach Rick Pitino are set to face off against Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on the second day of March Madness.
For college basketball fans and most sports fans in general, March Madness is one of the most entertaining times of the year. Each and every year, games come down to the wire quite often, major upsets are watched, and Cinderella runs are born.
St. John’s enters the tournament with a 28-6 regular season record and as a No. 5 seed. Northern Iowa earned a No. 12 seed after a 23-12 regular season record.
Despite the Red Storm being the clear on paper favorite, they are expected to face some difficulty against the Panthers. Former NBA star Jalen Rose could see an upset happening.
Jalen Rose Puts St. John’s, Rick Pitino on Notice Over Northern Iowa
As shared by TNT Sports U.S. on X, Rose sent a very brief and blunt message to St. John’s and Pitino.
“St. John’s is gonna have a tough time against Northern Iowa,” he said.
Northern Iowa is no stranger to pulling off upsets in the NCAA Tournament. Back in 2010, they came through with a win over the Kansas Jayhawks. In 2026, they came through with a last-second win over Texas.
Pitino and his team will need to come in focused. They can’t afford to look past the Panthers. For those who know Pitino or have watched him over the years, he’ll have his team ready to play.
The Red Storm Are Looking to Avenge Last Season
Last year, Pitino and St. John’s were a top-tier National Championship contender. They entered March Madness as a No. 2 seed.
In the first round, the Red Storm took care of business. They defeated No. 15-seed Omaha by a final score of 83-53. That is where their tournament success came to an end.
St. John’s went up against John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second round. While the Red Storm were favored in that game, they came up short by a final score of 75-66.
This season, St. John’s will have an opportunity to put that loss to Arkansas behind them. Pitino has won two National Championships throughout his coaching career, one coming at Kentucky and the other at Louisville. He became the first head coach to win one with two different schools.
That being said, all eyes will be on Pitino and the Red Storm on Friday evening at 7:10 p.m. ET when they take on Northern Iowa. Fans will be able to watch the game on CBS.
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