Memphis Coming off Win over Houston
The mid-majors are getting some love as the only No. 8 and 9 seeds from outside the Power-5 conferences will be squaring off at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Memphis comes off a win over then top-ranked Houston in the American Athletic Conference final. Florida Atlantic takes a seven-game win streak into the tournament after winning the Conference USA title.
Memphis is 17th and Florida Atlantic 36th in adjusted defensive efficiency according to the Pomeroy Basketball Rating database so keep that in mind when making college basketball predictions.
When it comes to the college basketball news, freshman Tre Carroll returned late in the regular season for Florida Atlantic after missing three games.
Memphis will be without third-leading scorer Keontre Kennedy and SMU transfer Jahmar Young has not played all season.
Memphis is 24th and Florida Atlantic 25th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. FAU is also No. 25 in the coaches poll with Memphis among other teams receiving votes.
According to the odds to win March Madness, Memphis (+7500) is tied for 27th and Florida Atlantic (+20000) is tied for 34th in the odds to win the national title.
Strong Finishing Kick
The Owls know how to close out games, going Florida Atlantic is 9-1 in games decided by 10 points or fewer. That has resulted in Florida Atlantic being in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002, and doing it as a No. 9 seed.
The Owls played SEC teams in two of the first three games this season, falling to Ole Miss and topping Florida. That got Florida Atlantic ready for conference play.
The top four scorers are freshmen or sophomores. The Owls feature 7-foot-1 sophomore Vladislav Godin while classmate Johnell Davis leads the team in scoring.
After losing just twice in conference play during the regular season, the Owls proved to be the class of Conference USA in the tournament as well.
The Owls squandered a double-digit lead in the second half in the semifinals against Middle Tennessee State, and needed two free throws apiece from Davis and Alijah Martin in the final 30 seconds to survive and advance.
Martin had 30 points and 11 rebounds as FAU rolled past UAB to secure the program’s first NCAA tournament bid since 2002.
Florida Atlantic has covered against the college basketball lines in five of its last seven games.
Tigers Starting To Roar
Memphis was on the bubble heading into the conference tournament despite posting six wins over teams from Power-5 conferences and losing to No. 1 March Madness seeds Alabama by three and Houston by eight and two points during the regular season.
Senior DeAndre Williams, who has started 79 of 81 games since transferring from Evansville, had 35 points in the quarterfinal game against UCF and the Tigers needed nearly all of them to pull out a five-point win.
Facing a Tulane team that owned a win against Memphis this season, Williams and Kendric Davis combined for 47 points, just seven fewer than Tulane managed.
Davis averaged 28 points per game and was 12 of 22 from 3-point range in the conference tournament.
Your AAC Tournament MVP@150__KD pic.twitter.com/QChEYCNJ37
— Memphis Basketball (@Memphis_MBB) March 12, 2023
A 46-point first half against Houston was enough to give Memphis the tournament title.
The Tigers have covered against the Las Vegas odds in four of their last five games.
Memphis is 2-1 when facing a No. 9 seed in the tournament, beating George Washington 71-66 in 2014 as a four-point favorite, losing to Saint Louis 61-54 as a 2½-point favorite in 2012, and topping Bucknell 72-56 in 2006 as an eight-point favorite.
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Game Injuries
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Head-to-Head
This is the first time that Florida Atlantic and Memphis will be playing. The last time that the Owls played a team in the American Athletic Conference, they lost 60-58 to South Florida in 2019.
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Game Information
- Game: Florida Atlantic (31-3) vs Memphis Tigers (26-8)
- Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
- Day/Time: Friday, March 17, 9:20 p.m. ET
- Florida Atlantic vs Memphis Live Stream: TBS.com
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Betting Lines
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Picks and Prediction
This could be one of the best games in the first round and it is one of three in the East Region featuring two conference tournament champions. Memphis won the 8-9 game last season against Boise State and threw a scare into Gonzaga in the second round.
Plenty of money has been coming in on FAU as the line has moved from Memphis being favored by 2½ points to 1½.
Memphis is 16-16-2 against the spread while FAU is 21-10-1 so that could explain why the Owls are picking up steam in this matchup.
FAU is in the top 30 nationally in points and rebounds per game. The Owls’ top nine scorers have combined to miss only nine games this season.
Memphis is a high-risk team on defense as the Tigers are 20th in Division I in steals per game and 40th in blocked shots, but can give up points in bunches at times.
The Tigers are 23-3 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Florida Atlantic is 3-2 as the underdog.
The teams are a combined 9-1 (7-3 against the spread) in neutral-site games this season.
Florida Atlantic is listed at +105 in our Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Owls, you have a chance to win $105. Memphis is -125, offering a chance to win $80 on a $100 wager. The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Florida Atlantic a 48.78% chance to win, with the Tigers at 55.56%.
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Trends
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Edge
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Results
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic Game Summary
