The 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (21-15) and 9th-seeded FAU Owls (32-3) meet Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip from Nationwide Arena in Columbus is scheduled for approximately 7:45 p.m. ET (truTV). Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Fairleigh Dickinson vs. FAU odds as we make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The Knights joined a very exclusive club Saturday, becoming just the 2nd 16th-seeded team to bump a No. 1 seed in the men’s tournament. FDU entered as a 23.5-point underdog against Purdue, but it covered wire-to-wire. F Sean Moore led 3 scorers that reached double digits for the Knights with 19 points, and he added 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.
FDU shot just 39% (24 of 62) from the floor, but it hit 80% (8 of 10) from the free-throw line and turned it over just 8 times. Despite being the smallest team in the NCAA Tournament, the Knights were actually outrebounded just 36-to-28, which is impressive against a Purdue team that sported 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey.
The Owls are in the NCAA Tournament for just the 2nd time ever and picked up their first win in the Big Dance in school history when they topped 8th-seeded Memphis 66-65. It was a thriller with plenty of back-and-forth scoring with ties and lead changes. FAU was a 1.5-point underdog and the Under (151) cashed.
FAU F Giancarlo Rosado tied a career-high with 15 points off the bench, while the Owls had 4 different scorers in double figures. Leading scorer G Johnell Davis was just 4 of 12 from the field, finishing with 12 points, and 2nd-leading scorer G Alijah Martin misfired on 10-of-13 field-goal attempts, and FAU still advanced, which is a good sign.
The Owls were just 29% (8 of 28) from behind the arc despite that they hit 36.9% from behind the arc during the season (40th). FAU allowed just 65.0 points per game (41st) on a 40.3% opponent’s field-goal percentage (19th) during the regular season
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Fairleigh Dickinson vs. FAU odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:17 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Fairleigh Dickinson +800 (bet $100 to win $800) | FAU -1200 (bet $1,200 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Fairleigh Dickinson +15.5 (-110) | FAU -15.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 148.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Fairleigh Dickinson vs. FAU picks and predictions
Prediction
FAU 79, Fairleigh Dickinson 67
Moneyline
FAU (-1200) will cost you 12 times your potential return, and that’s quite expensive for a singular bet or even as a part of a multi-team parlay. Using FAU as part of a parlay ticket sucks all of the value out of the ticket.
AVOID.
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Against the spread
BET FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON +15.5 (-110), as it is playing with a lot of confidence. It was able to upend Purdue, a team with tremendous size in the frontcourt. That won’t be necessary against FAU, as the Owls are the 2nd-smallest team in the NCAA Tournament behind FDU. The Knights will match up well against the Conference USA representative.
This line opened at +12.5 and quickly moved several points, as the money spilled in on the Owls. This line is likely to move back down before tip, but get as many points as you can. FAU is just 3-4 ATS in the past 7 games as a double-digit favorite.
Over/Under
The UNDER 148.5 (-112) is worth playing between these 2 quick upstarts, but go with a half-unit play at most.
While these teams will both be looking to break out and run, using their quick backcourts to pop out for plenty of perimeter opportunities, you can’t help but worry about nerves.
FAU is 1-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and FDU is 3-6 all-time in the Big Dance. Neither team has ever advanced past the second round, so we might see a slow start and some tightness on both sides, as the stage is as big as its ever been for both.
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