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The 9th-seeded FAU Owls (31-3) meet the 8th-seeded Memphis Tigers (26-8) Friday for a first-round East Region game in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off from Nationwide Arena in Columbus is scheduled for approximately 9:20 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the FAU vs. Memphis odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The Owls rolled past UAB in the Conference USA championship game Saturday by a 78-56 score, cashing as 2-point underdogs. FAU used defense to lock down the rest of the league, allowing just 57.3 points per game in 3 games in the league tourney.
This is FAU’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2002 when it was a 15-seed. It ended up covering against Alabama in an 8-point loss.
The Tigers caught fire in the AAC Tournament, winning games against UCF, Tulane and Houston. The final 2 games were victories by 10 or more points. Memphis is an impressive 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in the past 5 games overall, and 6-2 ATS across the past 8 contests.
Memphis has a rich basketball history, and the Tigers have won at least 1 game in each of their last 10 NCAA Tournament appearances dating back to 2003.
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FAU vs. Memphis odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:56 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): FAU +105 (bet $100 to win $105) | Memphis -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Against the spread: FAU +1.5 (-110) | Memphis -1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 152.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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FAU vs. Memphis picks and predictions
Prediction
Memphis 77, FAU 72
Moneyline
MEMPHIS (-125) is a solid moderate favorite worth playing if you don’t want to fiddle around with the points.
FAU is a tough matchup for the Tigers, as it lost just 3 games all season. The Owls are tied with Charleston and Houston with 31 wins, the most victories in college hoops. FAU went 2-1 in Quad 1 wins, too, so it won’t be a pushover.
However, Memphis posted 4 Q1 wins, while managing to avoid bad losses all season. This game is going to be super close, but in the end, G Kendric Davis and F DeAndre Williams will be too much for the Owls to handle
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Against the spread
MEMPHIS -1.5 (-110) is worth a look, going 4-1 ATS in the past 5 games and cashing in 5 of the past 6 outings on a neutral floor. Memphis has covered 5 of its last 7 games against winning teams, too.
FAU has cashed 5 of the past 7 games overall, but it doesn’t have nearly the same postseason experience as Memphis, and that will be the difference here in a very entertaining game.
Over/Under
UNDER 152.5 (-105) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most.
The Under is 18-7-1 in the past 26 games for FAU on a neutral floor and 5-2 in the past 7 appearances in the NCAA Tournament for Memphis. The Under is 6-1 in the past 7 games for the Tigers against teams with a winning overall record, too.
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