NCAA Tournament March 25th #9 Florida Atlantic vs #3 Kansas State Betting Preview
Two Unlikely Prospects for Final 4 Appearance
Both Florida Atlantic and K-State have had impressive – and unexpected – runs this March and one can punch their unlikely ticket to the Final Four with a win in the FAU vs Kansas State betting matchup. Make no mistake, both clubs are very good with the Owls boasting a 34-3 and KSU having not one, but two of the most productive players of this tournament.
Kansas State is a -2 point favorite on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City (6:09 PM ET, TBS). and over 70% of the betting public likes the Wildcats which is a bit of a red flag.
Why Florida Atlantic Can Cover +2 Points
Regardless of what anybody thinks about Conference USA, it’s still a tough task to win 34 games in a season. When a team does notch that many victories in a season, they start to develop the winning mentality and that’s what the Owls have right now with 10 straight wins.
FAU definitely has more of a team culture than superstars, but Johnell Davis is averaging 17.7 ppg in the postseason and had 29 in the second round win over Fairleigh Dickinson. Alijah Martin has big game potential as well, scoring 30 points in the 78-56 win over UAB in the Conference USA Championship Game.
The Owls are the underdog in the FAU vs Kansas State betting matchup, but the fact that so many bettors are on the Wildcats and the line has barely budged does give Florida Atlantic a lean. Plus, Florida Atlantic was a +4.5 underdog on Thursday against a 22-9 Tennessee team from the SEC that had just beaten red hot Duke, but the Owls still came out on top 62-55.
Why Kansas State Can Cover -2 Points
There is one major reason why Kansas State can run away with Saturday night’s game – Markquis Nowell. Nowell is playing elite basketball right now and doing it in his hometown of New York. Nowell willed Kansas State to victory on Thursday, setting an NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists in the 98-93 victory over Michigan State and also posted 27 points and 9 assists in the 2nd round win over Kentucky.
Nowell is far from Kansas State’s only star, as Keyontae Johnson is averaging 16.8 ppg in the postseason and just put up 22 points in the win over MSU. Nowell found Johnson for a huge alley-oop dunk that is one of the signature plays of March Madness 2023 so far. Johnson is one of the best stories of the tournament as well, choosing to forego a $5 million insurance settlement from heart problems suffered at Florida to play this season.
Jerome Tang is 26-9 in his first season as head coach of Kansas State, and he’s proven to be a legend killer so far this tournament. Tang and KSU have taken down John Calipari (3X Coach of the Year) and Tom Izzo (8X Final Four participant) in back to back games but now squares off against former Indiana student manager Dusty May of the Owls.
Free FAU vs Kansas State Betting Pick
There’s a lot of public wagering on Kansas State which could trigger an automatic contrarian play on the Owls, but at the same time K-State looks like a team of destiny this season. Both teams would be a great story for Final 4 weekend, but it’s hard to bet against Nowell and KSU in Madison Square Garden.
Free Pick: Kansas State -2
