Typically the March Madness Selection Show features emphatic celebrations when teams hear their names called. Hofstra, for example, erupted when it was revealed on the bracket for the first time in 25 years.
Northern Iowa, however, was dead silent when its logo flashed on the screen.
Were the Panthers so smug that they didn’t even care to react? Or were they angry about drawing St. John’s in the first round?
Neither, it turns out. Northern Iowa was seemingly watching Hofstra being picked and was unaware they had actually been chosen. CBS had sent them a stream that was meant to be faster than the broadcast to catch their reaction, but it malfunctioned, KWWL’s Mark Woodley reported.
So, the group sat motionless as the announcers laughed in the background.
“Here it comes. Here it comes,” one said, waiting for them to find out.
“Come on guys, give ‘em the news,” another joked.
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Eventually, one UNI player noticed a bracket on a side screen that correctly pitted the Panthers against the Johnnies, and the players finally jumped out of their seats.
Northern Iowa made the big dance after winning four games in four days in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 6 seed. The win marked its first time advancing to March Madness since 2016, when it famously knocked off Texas on Paul Jesperson’s half-court buzzer-beater.
The Panthers enter the tournament at 23-12 and a No. 12 seed. Senior guard Trey Campbell leads the team with 13.7 points per game, while four other players average at least nine points.
Though they enter winning five in a row, No. 5 seed St. John’s is just as hot.
The Johnnies have won their last six games, including victories over Providence, Seton Hall and UConn in the Big East Tournament to capture their second straight conference title.
St. John’s is led by Zuby Ejiofor, who unanimously won Big East Player of the Year while also capturing Defensive Player of the Year honors. He enters March Madness averaging 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds.
After losing to No. 10 seed Arkansas in the Round of 32 last year, St. John’s yearns for an even deeper run this year. But its path will be just as hard.
In the East Region, the Johnnies will likely have to get through multiple of No. 1 overall seed Duke, No. 2 seed UConn, No. 3 seed Michigan State and No. 4 seed Kansas — arguably the toughest region in the bracket.
