Florida Atlantic vs Fairleigh Dickinson Prediction, Picks & Odds | NCAA Tournament

March Madness was in full effect on Friday as #9 Florida Atlantic and #16 Fairleigh Dickinson pulled off first-round upsets. Now, these two cinderella stories will meet to see who will dance their way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region.

While Florida Atlantic enters as a heavy favorite, Fairleigh Dickinson set a record by being the biggest underdog against the spread to win since 1985. That means we could be in for an exciting second-round matchup on Sunday, March 18. 

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#9 Florida Atlantic Preview

The Owls advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament East Region second round by getting their first-ever March Madness win in one of Friday’s most exciting games. They won by making a shot with two seconds remaining after hitting multiple key three-pointers to stay within reach of Memphis. FAU trailed Memphis most of the game, though not by much, thanks to getting slightly outplayed in every major category. They had worse shooting percentages, more turnovers, and more fouls than Memphis. The Owls got the win thanks to an impressive 18 offensive rebounds. Those second-chance possessions led them to have seven more shots than the Tigers, which was the difference in the game. It was Florida Atlantic’s eighth straight win, and they're eleventh in their last 12 games.

The Owls made their second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the Conference USA Tournament and the regular season title. They did so with a solid balance of defense and offense, ranking in the top three in most major statistical categories in the conference. They shoot the ball well and are a solid rebounding team, as they showed against Memphis. The Owls enter as the heavy favorite to win on Sunday, but we’ll see what that means against an FDU team that just pulled off one of the biggest upsets in history.

Key Offensive Stats

• 78.4 PPG

• 46.9% Field goal percentage

• 36.9% Three-point percentage

• 71.7% Free throw percentage

• 14.5 Assists

• 11.7 Turnover per game

Key Defensive Stats

• 65.0 PPG

• 40.3% Opponent field goal percentage

• 31.7% Opponent three-point percentage

• 38.7 RPG

• 6.7 Steals per game

• 2.5 Blocks per game

Key Players

• Johnell Davis: 13.5 PPG / 5.2 RPG / 1.5 SPG / 49.4 FG%

• Alijah Martin: 13.1 PPG / 5.3 RPG / 1.0 SPG

• Vladislav Goldin: 10.5 PPG / 6.4 RPG / 1.2 BPG

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#16 Fairleigh Dickinson Preview

On Friday, the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson University pulled off the biggest upset against the spread since 1985. They shocked the world by beating a Purdue team that spent much of the season atop the national rankings. Even though they made just 38.7% of their shots from the field, the Knights shut Purdue down defensively. They held the Boilermakers to a field goal percentage of 35.8% and 19.2% from three. FDU also added a whopping 11 steals and forced the Boilermakers to turn the ball over 16 times. 

FDU earned were able to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament despite losing in the NEC championship game. They lost to Merrimack, who was ineligible for March Madness due to their recent transition to division one. The Knights finished second in their conference thanks to an offense averaging 78 points per game. They have a lot of areas on both ends of the court that need improvement, but their ability to get steals and offensive rebounds make them capable of beating anybody.

Key Offensive Stats

• 78.0 PPG

• 45.6% Field goal percentage

• 34.8% Three-point percentage

• 75.2% Free throw percentage

• 14.9 Assists

• 11.5 Turnover per game

Key Defensive Stats

• 74.5 PPG

• 47.7% Opponent field goal percentage

• 35.8% Opponent three-point percentage

• 34.1 RPG

• 8.0 Steals per game

• 1.9 Blocks per game

Key Players

• Demetre Roberts: 16.6 PPG / 4.3 APG / 1.3 SPG

• Grant Singleton: 14.3 PPG / 1.9 SPG / 38.2 3P%

• Ansley Almonor: 14.1 PPG / 4.8 RPG

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Odds, Previews, Picks, Best Bets for #9 Florida Atlantic vs #16 Fairleigh Dickinson

Our Pick: Florida Atlantic

Our Best Bet: Under 150.5

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds

Spread: FAU -13.5 (-110) / Fairleigh Dickinson +13.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Florida Atlantic -1000 / Fairleigh Dickinson +640

Total: 150.5 (-110)

Game Preview

This surprising matchup between two teams hoping to be this year’s Cinderella is one of the most intriguing matchups of Sunday. While Florida Atlantic certainly has the advantage in almost every category and is measurable, it won’t be the first time Fairleigh Dickinson has overcome that this week. Their aggressive play on defense and ability to negate their height disadvantage should come in handy again against FAU. Both teams are good at creating second chances from offensive rebounds, which may be what this game comes down to. 

We do expect the Florida Atlantic Owls to get the win on Sunday. They have advantages at every turn and won’t overlook FDU as Purdue did. The Knights were under the radar before beating Purdue, but now they’ll face a team that recognizes how dangerous they can be. The Owls are in their second-ever March Madness, so don’t expect them to take anything for granted.

We are all over Under 150.5 for this matchup. Neither of these teams shot well in their first-round matchup, and we see that continuing on Sunday. While we like FAU to win, there is no chance we will give up 13.5 points to this FDU team. Especially considering their ability to grab offensive rebounds and generate turnovers.

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How to Watch #9 Florida Atlantic vs #16 Fairleigh Dickinson

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

Game Time & Date: Mar 19 at 7:45 PM EST

TV Network: truTV

Streaming: NCAA March Madness Live

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