The No. 8 FAU Owls will take on the No. 9 Northwestern Wildcats on Friday, March 22. This game will be part of the Brooklyn, New York Regional and will be played at the Barclays Center.
No. 8 Florida Atlantic
NET: 39
KenPom Overall: 41
KenPom O: 16
KenPom D: 109
Record: 25-8
Strength of Schedule: 93
Conference: American
Conference Record: 14-4
Quad 1 Record: 2-2
Florida Atlantic was one of the biggest stories of the NCAA Tournament last year, reaching the Final Four on a Cinderella run as a No. 9 seed. They return this season after earning a No. 2 seed in the American Athletic Conference, behind just South Florida. The Owls grabbed key non-conference wins over Texas A&M and Arizona early in the season, and rank 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom.
Led by Johnell Davis and Vladislav Golden, FAU averages 83 points per game, placing them in the top 15 scoring offenses in the country. They suffered from being the team to beat in the AAC this year, with every conference opponent treating the matchup as one of the biggest games of the year, but they were still able to go on a seven-game winning streak in the middle of the season to propel them to the top of the conference standings.
No. 9 Northwestern
NET: 244
KenPom Overall: 46
KenPom O: 30
KenPom D: 73
Record: 21-11
Strength of Schedule: 49
Conference: Big Ten
Conference Record: 12-8
Quad 1 Record: 4-7
Northwestern pulled off a feat that very few teams achieved this season – a win over Purdue. This Wildcats team climbed the Big Ten ranks to end up with a 4-seed heading into the conference tournament, and secured their second consecutive and third all-time NCAA Tournament appearance. Northwestern excels from the perimeter, averaging 39.6% from the three-point line (6th in the nation).
The Wildcats’ ball security was a key piece to their success in conference play this year, as they turned the ball over just 8.7 times per game on average (4th lowest in the nation). Northwestern is led by fifth-year senior Boo Buie, who broke the school’s all-time scoring record this season. They also grabbed ranked wins over Dayton and Illinois.
2024 March Madness: No. 9 Northwestern vs. No. 8 FAU odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Northwestern -2, FAU +2
Over/Under: 140.5
Moneyline: Northwestern -135, FAU +114