Nine-seed Northwestern and 8-seed Florida Atlantic both head to Brooklyn to face each other on Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The game is at 12:15 PM ET on CBS. Can Northwestern cover the 4-point spread as neutral site underdogs? Keep reading for our Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic prediction.
The Northwestern Wildcats are 21-11 straight up in the regular season this year. They are 17-13-2 ATS this season.
The Florida Atlantic Owls are 25-8 straight up in the regular season this year. They are 16-17 ATS this season.
Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic Matchup & Betting Odds
763 Northwestern Wildcats (+4) vs. 764 Florida Atlantic (-4); o/u 143.5
12:15 p.m. ET, Friday, March 22, 2024
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
TV: CBS
Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic Public Betting Information
Our CBB Public Betting Information page indicates that 57% of public bettors are currently backing Northwestern when it comes to the spread. This information is subject to change throughout the day, however, so be sure to check the link so you’re receiving the most up-to-date public betting data.
Northwestern Wildcats Game Notes
Wildcats guard Ty Berry will miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus that required surgery. Berry was one of Northwestern’s most important guards and was averaging 11.6 points per game in 29.7 minutes per contest this year. He last played on February 7th.
Northwestern center Matthew Nicholson will also sit out Friday’s game. He’s nursing a leg injury. Nicholson was logging 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game across 22.3 minutes per contest prior to getting hurt.
Florida Atlantic Owls Game Notes
Owls forward Tre Carroll won’t play on Friday due to an arm injury. The 6’7” sophomore was averaging 4.0 points per contest in 7.9 minutes per game before succumbing to injury.
Florida Atlantic center Vladislav Goldin was solid in his team’s 74-73 loss to Temple in the AAC Tournament on Saturday. The 7’1” Russian national recorded 23 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the floor, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. For the season, Goldin is second on the Owls in scoring with 15.6 points per game.
Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic CBB Betting Trends
Northwestern is 4-5-2 ATS in non-conference games this season.
Florida Atlantic is 9-4 ATS in non-conference games this season.
Florida Atlantic is 3-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
The Owls are 4-1 ATS in NCAA Tournament games since the start of last season.
Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic CBB Prediction:
Florida Atlantic brought back many of the same players from their Final Four squad last season. The Owls’ record isn’t as good this year, but that’s because they got bumped up to the American Athletic Conference from Conference USA in 2022. Florida Atlantic might technically be a “mid-major,” but they scheduled strong opponents out of conference this season. The Owls possess non-conference wins over Butler, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, and Arizona. Florida Atlantic and their head coach Dusty May will be prepared for this game, and they have last year’s tournament experience to fall back on.
Northwestern ended the season on a 1-3 skid. Making matters worse, the Wildcats were only 6-6 straight up in their final 12 games of the season. Northwestern’s true shooting percentage and offensive efficiency are both ranked more than 30 spots lower than Florida Atlantic’s and I think that will be the difference in this contest. I like the Owls to win and cover in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon.