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Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic Predictions, Odds & Picks: Can Knights Continue Magical Run?

Shane Jackson

Last Updated: March 19, 2023 9:08 AM EDT • 2 min 36 sec read.

Jalen Gaffney of the Florida Atlantic Owls shoots a layup against the Memphis Tigers during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on Mar. 17, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio.
Jalen Gaffney of the Florida Atlantic Owls shoots a layup against the Memphis Tigers during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on Mar. 17, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images via AFP.

As the only No. 16 seed to win two NCAA Tournament games, the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights have their sights set on a Sweet 16 berth when they face the Florida Atlantic Owls Saturday. Read on for our best FDU vs. FAU prediction based on the top NCAAB odds.

So that happened. Fairleigh Dickinson shocked the world by becoming the second No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed, when they earned a 63-58 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers Friday. This came two days after the Knights earned a First Four win following a runner-up finish in the Northeastern Conference (more on that later).

Florida Atlantic, meanwhile, probably feels fortunate after earning its first NCAA Tournament win in program history. The Owls escaped with a 66-65 victory over the Memphis Tigers Friday and now have a shot at making the Sweet 16 as double-digit favorites in Sunday’s affair.

Here is our best Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic prediction (odds via Caesars Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic odds

Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic prediction

Fairleigh Dickinson Under 67.5 (-115 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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This is a prime letdown spot for the Knights, who are roughly 15-point underdogs. Rather than lay those points with a spread bet, take the Under on Fairleigh Dickinson’s team total of 67.5 instead.

Let’s start with the spot, because we have something to go off. Fairleigh Dickinson punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament in its conference tourney semifinal with a 70-50 win over St. Francis PA on March 4. Due to NCAA rules, Merrimack couldn't qualify for the Big Dance. 

Check out our March Madness best bets and all of our top NCAA Tournament picks for Sunday

The two teams met four days later, and Merrimack secured a 67-66 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in the title game. Head coach Tobin Anderson’s squad could be in store for a similar letdown performance in the Round of 32.

Florida Atlantic won’t be as bothered by full-court pressure as Purdue was, and should flex its muscles on both ends of the floor. The Owls rank 36th in adjusted defensive efficiency, and haven’t given up more than 65 points in a game yet this postseason.

ShotQuality projects a 82-62 victory for head coach Dusty May’s Owls, so don’t expect a tightly-contested battle. Fairleigh Dickinson should finally run out of gas while playing its third game in five days.

Check out our best March Madness odds and Wooden Award odds.

Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic best odds

Caesars (-115)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsPointsBet
Under 67.5 pointsUnder 67.5 pointsN/AUnder 67.5Under 66.5
-120-122N/A-115-105

This line is set at 67.5 at three different shops, but PointsBet shaded it down to 66.5. Play this at Caesars for a slight discount, as it seems like the best angle to attack for this particular matchup. It's playable up to -125 juice before we’d recommend passing on this prop.

Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic odds analysis

Florida Atlantic opened as a 13-point favorite, but the line increased to 14.5 and 15 by Saturday afternoon. The total is down to 149 after opening at 150, but there'll likely be movement on the total until tipoff.

The underdog Knights are backed by 73% of the betting action with a 63% majority of bettors backing the Under.

Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic game info

  • Date: Sunday, March 19, 7:45 p.m. ET
  • TV: truTV
  • Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH

Fairleigh Dickinson-Florida Atlantic pick made 3/18/2023 at 2:15 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Shane Jackson
After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Kansas in 2017, Shane Jackson covered college sports for a few years before moving to Las Vegas to pursue a career in sports betting. He created sports betting content for WynnBET and served as a sports gambling content director for Bet Chicago Sports. Shane’s favorite sports to watch and bet on are NFL, college football, college basketball, NBA, WNBA, and golf. Follow Shane on Twitter (@SJacksonBET) to get access to all of his betting analysis.