The 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (21-15) and 9th-seeded FAU Owls (32-3) meet Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip from Nationwide Arena in Columbus is scheduled for approximately 7:45 p.m. ET (truTV). Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Fairleigh Dickinson vs. FAU odds as we make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The Knights joined a very exclusive club Saturday, becoming just the 2nd 16th-seeded team to bump a No. 1 seed in the men’s tournament. FDU entered as a 23.5-point underdog against Purdue, but it covered wire-to-wire. F Sean Moore led 3 scorers that reached double digits for the Knights with 19 points, and he added 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.
FDU shot just 39% (24 of 62) from the floor, but it hit 80% (8 of 10) from the free-throw line and turned it over just 8 times. Despite being the smallest team in the NCAA Tournament, the Knights were actually outrebounded just 36-to-28, which is impressive against a Purdue team that sported 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey.
The Owls are in the NCAA Tournament for just the 2nd time ever and picked up their first win in the Big Dance in school history when they topped 8th-seeded Memphis 66-65. It was a thriller with plenty of back-and-forth scoring with ties and lead changes. FAU was a 1.5-point underdog and the Under (151) cashed.