In the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, the Northwestern Wildcats take on the FAU Owls in the battle of the 8/9 seed in the East Region.
The winner of this game gets a date with the number 1 overall UCONN Huskies, and to be honest, I did not think FAU deserved to be in the Big Dance after losing in the American Conference tournament.
The Owls were a Final Four team last year, returning their core, in a very weak league. They not only didn’t win the regular season title, but also go upset by the 11 seed in the conference tournament.
With that in mind, let me tell you why it’s Northwestern tonight.
Northwestern vs FAU Game Information
Matchup Information – Northwestern vs FAU
- Venue & Location: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)
- Date: Friday, March 22nd, 2024
- Tip Off: 12:15pm Eastern
- Broadcast: CBS
Betting Odds
Spread
- Northwestern +4.5 (-110)
- FAU -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline
- Northwestern +165
- FAU -195
Total
- Over 143.5 (-110)
- Under 143.5 (-110)
The Pick: Northwestern +4.5 (-110) Bovada
Like I said, I do not think FAU deserves to be in this position, and I ultimately think Northwestern is a much better squad. The Owls handled business early, but down the stretch lost games to 109th UAB, 83rd South Florida, and 92nd Memphis. Now they play a Northwestern team that currently ranks in the Top 30 and will easily be their toughest opponent since before Christmas.
While FAU’s offense is good, their defense is not. As for the Wildcats, they are very solid on both sides of the ball, play in a much tougher league, and have the best player on the floor, Boo Buie.
Northwestern’s defense actually ranks 16th in overall efficiency in Away/Neutral games, so I think they are more than capable of taking down the Owls who have been a bit overrated all season long.
FAU doesn’t play super fast, however the Wildcats are extremely slow. I think they are able to control the pace, run their sets, and take down the Owls on both sides of the floor.
Give me Northwestern plus the points to start off this Friday.
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