The Fair Dickinson Knights take on the FAU Owls. Check out our March Madness odds series for our Fair Dickinson FAU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Fair Dickinson FAU.
The NCAA Tournament has given us a lot of magical and special moments over the years, but none might have been more special than what we saw on Friday night in the first round. We know that UMBC beat Virginia in 2018, the first time a No. 16 seed beat a No. 1 seed in the men's NCAA Tournament. (It's not the first time a 16 seed has beaten a 1 seed in any NCAA basketball championship. Harvard beat Stanford in the women's tournament in 1998.) However, Fairleigh Dickinson's win over Purdue is clearly a bigger upset. UMBC in 2018 was rated far, far higher than Fairleigh Dickinson is in 2023. Moreover, Virginia — as good as it was in 2018 — had an injury to DeAndre Hunter, one of its best players, who won a national title for the Cavaliers one year later in 2019. Purdue was not dealing with any key injury problems.
Fairleigh Dickinson also has one of the most undersized lineups in college basketball. The Knights had a bunch of miniature figures on the floor when compared to Purdue giant Zach Edey. It simply seemed like a complete mismatch. Surely Purdue and Edey were just going to play volleyball on the glass, even if the Boilermakers missed a lot of shots. FDU was going to have a tough time finishing near the basket with Edey there. It seemed virtually impossible for Fairleigh Dickinson to actually win. Maybe play the game close, within eight or nine points, but not actually win outright.
Guess what happened? Fairleigh Dickinson just played the game of its life against Purdue. FDU's amazing peformance came not on offense, but on defense. The Knights held Purdue under 60 points by packing in their defense, daring Purdue to hit open shots, and swiping at the ball if Edey ever brought the ball to chest level or lower. Edey needed to keep the ball above his shoulders, but he didn't. FDU bothered him and prevented him from dominating the game. Suddenly, we have a second 16-over-1 upset in a five-year span. Parity at the NCAA Tournament has never been more pronounced.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Fair Dickinson-FAU March Madness odds.
March Madness Odds: Fair Dickinson-FAU Odds
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights: +14.5 (-105)
FAU Owls: -14.5 (-115)
Over: 149.5 (-110)
Under: 149.5 (-110)
How To Watch Fair Dickinson vs FAU
TV: TruTV
Stream: CBSSports.com, March Madness app, fuboTV
Time: 7:45 p.m. ET, 4:45 p.m. PT
*Watch Fair Dickinson-FAU LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Fairleigh Dickinson Could Cover the Spread
This is a team which is doing special things in the NCAA Tournament. Imagine what it must be like to be part of the Fairleigh Dickinson team right now, to have done something which will be remembered forever in the history of college basketball. No team enters the second round with more confidence, more hope, more optimism. That's a powerful thing. This team is so locked in on defense and so committed to playing the right way with the right intensity and focus that it can do anything it wants. Getting nearly 15 points gives FDU a great chance of covering the spread. Florida Atlantic will have to play great to win this game by 15 or more.
Why FAU Could Cover the Spread
This is a game FAU should frankly dominate. When we wonder why Purdue lost to Fairleigh Dickinson, the answer is clear: Purdue's guards just weren't very good or experienced. FDU was able to run them ragged. Florida Atlantic doesn't have Zach Edey (no one else does), but the Owls do have strong, tough, fearless, smart guards. FDU is undersized, so Florida Atlantic should get its fair share of rebounds and loose balls. As long as FAU's guards play reasonably well, it should be a very decisive Owl victory.
Final Fair Dickinson-FAU Prediction & Pick
This is a game in which Florida Atlantic's backcourt should have a field day. Cinderella will not keep dancing after Sunday. Take FAU.
Final Fair Dickinson-FAU Prediction & Pick: FAU -14.5
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