The Florida Atlantic Owls and the Northwestern Wildcats clash in the opening game of Friday's March Madness Round 1 action, as we offer our Northwestern vs. FAU expert picks and predictions based on the best March Madness odds.
Less than a year ago, the No. 8 Florida Atlantic Owls made history with their debut appearance in the Final Four in their second NCAA Tournament appearance. As they are set to kick off their third March Madness campaign, the Owls are slight favorites to triumph in Friday's matchup against the No. 9 Northwestern Wildcats.
FAU surprised everyone last year with their remarkable journey as a No. 9 seed; this year, they carry an even higher seed. However, the Northwestern Wildcats are a tough foe, led by fifth-year senior Boo Buie, who seems poised to deliver a standout performance in what could potentially be his final game.
As part of our Marc h Madness predictions, here is our best Northwestern vs. FAU expert pick and college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Northwestern vs. FAU odds
Northwestern (9) vs. FAU (8) expert pick
Best odds: -115 via BetMGM
The all-time leading scorer in Northwestern history has enjoyed the best season of his career in 2023-24, averaging 19.2 points on 45% shooting in his fifth year with the program. And I'd be shocked if he doesn't show up on Friday.
Buie has been a steady hand for Northwestern all season, but he's turned it on down the stretch of his final year in Evanston. The 6-foot-2 guard dropped 23 points in his final home game on March 9, and he followed that with 29 points – including seven 3-pointers – in a loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.
Florida Atlantic's offense is even better than in 2023. Still, its defense has regressed mightily in its first year in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), ranking outside of the top 100 in efficiency. The Owls allowed a 20-point scorer in each of their last four games, and three of those players were undersized guards.
FAU is one of the nation's best at preventing assists, but Dusty May's group struggles to generate ball pressure or prevent easy looks along the perimeter. That's an issue against Buie, who has hit three or more triples in four straight games and is +150 via BetMGM to do that again on Friday.
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Northwestern vs. FAU spread & Over/Under analysis
Florida Atlantic initially opened as a 1.5-point favorite over Northwestern ahead of Friday's first-round matchup, and we've seen the Owls bet up to -2.5 in the days before the game. That comes even with KenPom – which typically has a strong influence on the betting market – projecting this as a 1-point game in favor of FAU.
The total for this game has also climbed from as low as 140.5 to as high as 142 across our best sportsbooks, though FanDuel and BetMGM were still offering 141.5 as of Tuesday. That could spell some minor value for Over bettors in a game that KenPom projects to reach 147 points.
Northwestern vs. FAU game info
- When: Friday, March 22
- Tip-off: 12:15 p.m. ET
- Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
- How to watch: CBS
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Northwestern-FAU prediction made Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. ET.
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