The 3rd-seeded St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash (13-17) and No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (18-14) clash in a Northeast Conference Tournament semifinal in New Jersey. The contest at FDU’s Stratis Arena in Teaneck will tip off at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN3). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the St. Francis vs. Fairleigh Dickinson odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
St. Francis went 9-7 in 16 NEC games. The Red Flash split 2 games with FDU (Jan. 26, Feb. 23), but the 2nd game — an 82-72 win — is part of a winning stretch SFU totes into this game. The team is 4-1 straight up and 3-1 against the spread over its last 5 games.
The Knights feast on turnovers (they are an NEC-best plus-5.3 in average margin) and also succeed with above-average offensive rebounding and shooting. Fairleigh Dickinson — a 10-6 team in league play — is 3-1 over its last 4 games.
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St. Francis at Fairleigh Dickinson odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:10 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Off the board
- Against the spread (ATS): St. Francis +4.5 (-105) | Fairleigh Dickinson -4.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 156.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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St. Francis at Fairleigh Dickinson picks and predictions
Prediction
Fairleigh Dickinson 76, St. Francis 74
Moneyline
Not available.
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Against the spread
Fairleigh Dickinson is 7-5 at home. The Red Flash are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games against teams with a winning home record. In this series, the road team is 9-3 ATS over the last 12 meetings.
For the season, SFU has drained 36.9% of its looks from beyond the arc; that ranks 40th in the nation. FDU ranks as a bottom-50 squad in defending the 3. In meeting No. 1, SFU misfired from distance to the tune of a 7-for-26 performance and was still in the game. The Red Flash led that game at the 10:33-mark of the 2nd half and went on to stay within 5 despite shooting woes. In game 2, SFU cruised to a win without an out-of-bounds great performance from distance (7-of-18).
The Red Flash have a legit shot to win this one outright. BACK ST. FRANCIS +4.5 (-105).
Over/Under
The Under (157.5) hit in the last meeting, and the Over prevailed in the January contest. But the Under is 3-1 across the last 4 series meetings.
Figure on the host Knights getting some turnover/transition and 2nd-chance looks and the Red Flash getting a decent number of 3s and free throws. But overall, this is an aggressive number for a bracket contest that figures to have amped-up defense.
TAKE THE UNDER 156.5 (-110).
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