Florida Atlantic A Double-Digit Favorite
What will Fairleigh Dickinson do for an encore after busting so many brackets by becoming the second No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed after Friday’s 63-58 victory.
Florida Atlantic edged Memphis 66-65 on a Nicholas Boyd basket with 2.5 seconds to play to give the Owls their first NCAA tournament victory.
The Owls are one of four teams left in the tournament with at least 30 wins. Houston and Alabama are No. 1 seeds and UCLA a No. 2 seed while Florida Atlantic is seeded ninth. FAU is favored heading into Sunday’s game according to the NCAA basketball odds.
When it comes to the college basketball news, freshman Tre Carroll returned late in the regular season for Florida Atlantic after missing three games. The Owls’ top nine scorers have combined to miss only nine games this season.
FDU is in pretty good shape in the injury department.
Florida Atlantic is 25th in the Associated Press Top 25 and coaches’ polls.
According to the odds to win March Madness, Florida Atlantic went from +20000 to +6500 in the odds to win the national title after the win over Memphis. Fairleigh Dickinson comes in at +50000.
Stepping Up a Level
A year ago Sean Moore, Demetre Roberts and Grant Singleton teamed up to lead St. Thomas Aquinas to two wins in the Division II national tournament.
When head coach Tobin Anderson was hired at Fairleigh Dickinson, they followed their coach to FDU.
On Friday night they combined for 39 points as the Knights stunned top-seeded Purdue in what will go down as one of the biggest upsets in March Madness history.
Moore scored in double digits once in his first 25 games before going off for a season-high 19 points in the upset win.
Moore, Roberts and Singleton combined for six of the Knights’ seven 3-pointers. No shot was bigger than Moore’s 3-pointer with 1:04 left to play after Purdue pulled within two points.
FDU FROM DOWNTOWN!!
THEY LEAD BY 5 😱 pic.twitter.com/RrW93vHbwp
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
Two free throws by Roberts with 7 seconds to play put the game out of reach.
Fairleigh Dickinson is 5-1 against the college basketball odds in its last six games with betting lines.
Unlikely Hero Emerges
Unsung players tend to emerge every year during March Madness. In Florida Atlantic’s one-point win over American Athletic Conference tournament champion Memphis it was time for Giancarlo Rosado to emerge from the shadows.
Rosado averaged seven points per game in the Conference USA tournament and scored in single digits in each of his last six games.
Rosado was 6 of 6 from the field and had a season-high 15 points.
With Rosado leading the way, FAU was +7 in bench points against Memphis. That shot making was crucial since four of the Owls’ five starters missed more shots than they made in the game.
Florida Atlantic has covered against the college basketball betting lines in six of its last eight games.
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Game Injuries
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Head-to-Head
This is the first meeting between Fairleigh Dickinson and Florida Atlantic.
The Knights are 2-4 against teams currently in Conference USA with the most recent meeting a 65-59 loss to Charlotte in 2007. FAU’s only games against Northeast Conference teams are losses in 2013 and 2014 to St. Francis (NY).
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Information
- Game: Fairleigh Dickinson (21-15) vs Florida Atlantic (32-3)
- Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
- Day/Time: Sunday, March 19, 7:45 p.m. ET
- Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Live Stream: TBS.com
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Betting Lines
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Picks & Prediction
Who had either FDU or FAU reaching the Sweet 16 when the season began?
Both teams got it done on the defensive end to overcome stretches of spotty offensive play and now they play with a shot in the East Regional semifinals on the line. FAU is a double-digit favorite and likely to survive and advance in what could be a high-scoring game.
Fairleigh Dickinson is listed as the underdog by the sportsbook for the third time in as many games in the NCAA tournament as the Knights topped Texas Southern and Purdue.
The Knights are in the top 50 nationally in scoring offense and steals. However, they rank near the bottom of the nation in field-goal percentage defense.
FAU is in the top 30 in scoring offense, 3-point shooting percentage and ranks 41st in field-goal percentage so perhaps the two offenses will get going.
Among teams still in the tournament, only Pittsburgh has a better record against the spread than Florida Atlantic’s mark of 22-10-1.
The Owls are 26-1 when listed by the college basketball odds as the favorite. Fairleigh Dickinson is 7-8 as the underdog.
The teams are a combined 7-1 (5-3 against the spread) in neutral-site games this season.
Florida Atlantic is listed at -850 in our Las Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Owls, you have a chance to win $12. Fairleigh Dickinson is +570, offering a chance to win $570 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Florida Atlantic an 89.47% chance to win, with the FDU Knights at 14.93%.
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Trends
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Edge
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Results
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Florida Atlantic Game Summary
