The No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights aim to continue a Cinderella run on Sunday evening. After a historic upset victory over No. 1 seed Purdue in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Fairleigh Dickinson will meet the No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic Owls at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. FDU is 21-15 overall, with five victories in the last six games. FAU is on an eight-game winning streak, including a win over No. 8 seed Memphis to improve to 32-3 overall.

Tipoff is at 7:45 p.m. ET in Columbus. The Owls are 15.5-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 148.5 in the latest Fairleigh Dickinson vs. FAU odds. Before making any FAU vs. Fairleigh Dickinson picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s Matt Severance. 

Severance is a well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. He is SportsLine’s top college basketball expert and is on a sizzling 159-99-1 (+2157) roll on his picks. Anyone following him is way up.

Now, he has set his sights on FAU vs. FDU and revealed his coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2023. You can head to SportsLine to see the picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for FDU vs. FAU:

• Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic spread: FAU -15.5
• Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic over/under: 148.5 points
• Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic money line: FAU -1100, FDU +700
• FDU: The Knights are 6-4 against the spread in the last 10 games
• FAU: The Owls are 6-4 against the spread in the last 10 games
• Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Fairleigh Dickinson can cover

Fairleigh Dickinson had an excellent defensive game in the win over Purdue. The Knights held Purdue to 58 points, including 36% from the field and 5-26 from 3-point range. Fairleigh Dickinson also forced 16 turnovers, including 11 steals, and the Knights create a giveaway on 21.5% of defensive possessions this season. On offense, Demetre Roberts leads the way for Fairleigh Dickinson, and the senior guard is leading the team with 16.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. 

The Knights had the best offense in the Northeast Conference this season, and FDU is shooting 75.8% from the free throw line this season. FDU averages 14.8 assists per game while giving the ball away on only 16.4% of possessions, and the Knights have a sparkling 31.0% offensive rebound rate. FAU is near the bottom of the country with a 6.6% block rate, and Fairleigh Dickinson is shooting 51.3% inside the arc in 2022-23.

Why Florida Atlantic can cover 

FAU projects extremely well on the offensive end in this matchup. The Owls led Conference USA in offensive efficiency this season, and FAU is in the top 15 nationally in scoring with 1.13 points per possession. The Owls are in the top 25 in shooting efficiency, including 54.0% from 2-point range and 37.0% from 3-point range, and FAU also takes care of the ball at a high level. The Owls commit a turnover on only 16.6% of offensive possessions, including a stellar live-ball turnover rate of 8.2%, and FAU is well above-average in offensive rebound rate (30.9%) and assists (14.5 per game).

In addition, Fairleigh Dickinson’s defensive metrics leave a lot to be desired. The Knights are in the bottom 10 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, and Fairleigh Dickinson is well below-average in 2-point defense, 3-point defense, block rate, assist prevention and defensive rebound rate. Fairleigh Dickinson is the smallest team in the country in average height, and the Knights are also below-average in free throw prevention, giving up almost 19 attempts per game.

How to make FAU vs. Fairleigh Dickinson picks

Severance has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under the point total, he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.

Who wins Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic? And which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Severance’s Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic picks, all from the expert who is crushing college basketball, and find out.