SEATTLE (AP) – The players who put Northern Iowa hoops on the map are all gone, replaced by others who are trying to leave their own successful stamp on the program.  The new group is reminded, almost daily, of the magic of 2010, when the Panthers knocked off Kansas to make it to the Sweet 16.  Northern Iowa hasn’t been that far since, and the players who are there now have to remind themselves that they are not trying to repeat the past.

Led by senior center Seth Tuttle, the Panthers are a No. 5 seed in the East Region. But they are still favored by 2 1/2 points in Sunday’s game against Rick Pitino and the fourth-seeded Louisville Cardinals, a coach and program that know a little bit about perennial success.

Tip-time for the game is 8:40-p.m., Sunday, Central Time.