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FAU vs Tennessee Prediction & Picks: Best Spread & Total Bets for Owls-Vols

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It has been a dream season for FAU, who is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in just their second March Madness appearance.

But will tonight be the end of the dream, or will it extend into Saturday and an East Regional final matchup with either Michigan State or Kansas State? Tonight, the ninth-seeded Owls (33-3) face off with fourth-seeded Tennessee (25-10) in the second East Regional semifinal at Madison Square Garden (9:00 pm ET, TBS).

After edging Memphis in the first round, FAU dispatched #16 seed Farleigh Dickinson in the second round, setting up a showdown with Tennessee, who has sent #13 seed Louisiana and #5 seed Duke, a popular Final Four pick, thus far.

What bets should you make for the nightcap in NYC? Read on for our FAU vs Tennessee prediction and picks.

Looking for More College Basketball Picks?

Over the next few couple of weeks, we will have predictions and picks for men’s and women’s March Madness, as well as the NIT.

Michigan State vs Kansas State Prediction & Picks (East Regional Semifinal)
Arkansas vs UConn Prediction & Picks (West Regional Semifinal)
Gonzaga vs UCLA Prediction & Picks (West Regional Semifinal)

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FAU vs Tennessee Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, March 23, 2023.

Spread

Florida Atlantic +4.5 (-104)
Tennessee -4.5 (-118)

Over/Under

Over 129.5 (-110)
Under 129.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Florida Atlantic +190
Tennessee -235

Will Fearless FAU Fly Into the Elite Eight?

In the second round, Tennessee used their physicality to full effect to dismantle Duke’s hopes of a deep March Madness run.

Will they be able to do the same thing to FAU?

Of the nine players that get the most minutes for the Owls, only two, starting center Vladislav Goldin (7’1’’) and 6’8’’ forward Giancarlo Rosado are the only two above 6’4’’.

But FAU wasn’t expected to be here, and they aren’t expected to be here past tonight. It’s hard to see them being intimidated by Tennessee, who made Duke freshman Kyle Filipowski bleed his own blood minutes into a game in which he went 6 of 16 from the field, attempted only two free throws, and turned the ball over four times.

From a betting perspective, the Owls are perhaps a somewhat tough handicap here because they don’t have a large sample size of games against the level of competition that they will face tonight.

But in addition to non-conference games against Ole Miss, Florida, as well as their two NCAA Tournament games, the Owls have five games against conference foes UAB and North Texas, both of whom are in the NIT semifinals.

In their three games against the Blazers, FAU went 2-1 SU and 1-1-1 ATS, while they went 2-0 SU and ATS in their two games against the Mean Green.

The Owls haven’t been the underdog all that often this season, but they are 4-2 SU and ATS when they have been, with losses at Ole Miss and UAB.

FAU vs Tennessee Prediction and Picks

Prediction for Florida Atlantic vs Tennessee: FAU to win

Picks for Florida Atlantic vs Tennessee: FAU to cover (Best Value: +5.5 @ BetMGM) & FAU/Tennessee over (Best Value: over 129 @ BetUS)

Ultimately–and this is my opinion–a lot about FAU comes to down results and the eye test.

The Owls haven’t won 33 games by being average. They haven’t gone 22-11-1 ATS by being average. They have shown the ability to play with and beat different styles of play, whether against North Texas, who is dead last in Division I in tempo, or UAB, who is one of the faster teams in the country.

The Mean Green may not be on the same level as Tennessee, but two games against UNT–as well as two more against Charlotte, who are second-to-last in the country in tempo–are good prep for a matchup with the Vols, who are most successful when they are able to suck the life out of a game and pound their opposition into submission.

FAU may well not beat Tennessee, but it won’t be a surprise if they do. And at minimum, I expect them to be competitive to the end.

Where to Bet on FAU vs Tennessee

Here are four legal sports betting sites that we highly recommend and have reviewed, where you can bet on this year’s NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments, as well as the 2023 NIT.