It’s a matchup between ranked conference champions in the 2023 NCAA Tournament when the Florida Atlantic Owls face the Memphis Tigers in a first-round game on Friday. The 24th-ranked Tigers (26-8) are the No. 8 seed, while the Owls (31-3) are ranked 25th and seeded ninth. Memphis stunned top-ranked Houston 75-65 in the AAC Tournament final on Sunday. FAU cruised past UAB 78-56 in the C-USA championship on Saturday. Memphis lost to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, while FAU’s only NCAA appearance was in 2002, when it lost to Alabama in the first round.
Tipoff is set for 9:20 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio. Caesars Sportsbook list the Tigers as 1.5-point favorites, and the over/under for total points scored is set at 152.5 in the latest FAU vs. Memphis odds. Before making any Memphis vs. FAU picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and March Madness betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament 79-53 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,300 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has broken down the FAU vs. Memphis matchup and just locked in its picks and March Madness predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for Memphis vs. FAU:
- FAU vs. Memphis spread: Tigers -1.5
- FAU vs. Memphis over/under: 153 points
- FAU vs. Memphis money line: Owls +110, Tigers -130
- FAU: The Owls are 6-0-1 ATS with the rest advantage
- MEM: The Tigers are 5-2 ATS in neutral-site games
- FAU vs. Memphis picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Memphis can cover
The Tigers are 8-3 against the spread in their past 11, and they are by far the best team FAU has faced this season. Memphis is battle-tested, having faced Houston three times in the final month. The Tigers lost by eight points on the road and by two at home before putting it all together Sunday. Kendric Davis scored 31 points, and DeAndre Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds in the AAC final. Davis is 12th in the nation in scoring at 22.1 points per game.
The Tigers average 79.5 points and shoot 48.1% from the field, and both marks rank in the nation’s top 25. They contest a lot of shots on the other end, where opponents shoot less than 41% (34th). Alex Lomax (2.4 steals) and Davis (2.1) are both excellent on defense. Williams averages 17.8 points and eight rebounds while chipping in 1.5 steals and one block per game. The Tigers outrebounded Houston 27-20 on the defensive end, with Williams grabbing 10.
Why FAU can cover
The Owls ran roughshod over Conference USA, and while Memphis is more tested, FAU can score with the best of them. They are one of four teams with more than 30 victories this season as they averaged 79.3 points (26th in the nation) while allowing 65.7 (60th). The Tigers yield 72.6 points per game (254th in Division I). FAU shoots 47.2% from the field (41st) and makes 37.2% of its 3-point attempts (22nd), while opponents hit just 41.1% of their shots (40th).
Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin are both excellent players across the board. Davis averages 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals, and Martin scores 13.2 and gets 5.4 boards and 1.5 steals. Vladislav Goldin gives the Owls size to deal with the Tigers’ big men, and the 7-foot-1 sophomore averages 10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. Five FAU players have hit at least 40 3-pointers, led by Martin (62) and Nicholas Boyd (58). The Owls are 21-10-1 ATS.
How to make FAU vs. Memphis picks
SportsLine’s model has broken down the Memphis vs. FAU matchup and revealed its results. It is leaning Under on the point total, with the model projecting 148 points. It also says one side of the spread is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins FAU vs. Memphis in Friday’s NCAA Tournament matchup? And which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of Memphis vs. FAU you should be backing Friday, all from the advanced model up almost $1,300 on its top-rated college basketball picks this season, and find out.
