Princeton and FAU Face Challenges as Underdogs in the Sweet Sixteen
Only 16 teams remain in the 2023 NCAA men's college basketball tournament. Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Princeton are currently the long shots with the highest odds to win the "March Madness" championship, according to DraftKings' college basketball futures board. Princeton boasts the longest odds in the Sweet 16 at +16000, while FAU is right behind them with +5000 odds.
FAU holds the #9 seed and will compete against #4 Tennessee on Thursday evening in the East Regional at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Although Tennessee has a +1000 odds of winning the title, they've suffered a significant setback with the loss of their best playmaker, point guard Zakai Zeigler, who tore his ACL against Arkansas earlier this month.
With a #15 seed, Princeton takes on #6 Creighton on Friday in the South Regional at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Creighton has +1600 odds of winning March Madness.
Both FAU and Princeton attempt to create history by becoming the biggest long shot to win March Madness during a year when numerous top seeds were eliminated in the first two rounds.
Only two remaining #1 seeds in the Sweet 16, Alabama and Houston, hold the position of favorites to win the championship. Alabama leads the way with +340 odds, while Houston trails them closely at +350.
UCLA and Texas are the only #2 seeds advancing to the Sweet 16. UCLA holds +800 odds of winning the title, while Texas stands at +1000 odds.
#9 FAU (33-3) vs. #4 Tennessee (25-10)
- Point Spread: Tennessee -5.5
- Total: 129.5 o/u
- Moneyline: FAU +195 / Tennessee -210
- Tip-off: Thursday, 6 p.m. PT on TBS
The FAU Owls concluded their season with an impressive 33 wins, boasting a perfect 17-0 record at home in Boca Raton, Florida. They managed a near-perfect record of 18-2 during games in Conference USA, ultimately securing an automatic bid to March Madness by winning the C-USA conference tournament.
FAU has shown no signs of slowing down and currently rides a nine-game winning streak. The team lost a mere three games throughout the season, each of which occurred on the road.
In the tournament's opening round, FAU earned a one-point victory over #8 Memphis. In the second round, they faced #16 Fairleigh Dickinson and successfully ended their winning run with a 78-70 victory.
FAU adopts a four-out offense, relying on four guards on the perimeter and a traditional center in the paint. Sophomore guard Johnell Davis, their leading scorer, averages 13.9 points per game and shoots a remarkable 39% from behind the 3-point line. Davis was the top scorer in their match against FDU with 29 points.
The Tennessee Vols nearly squandered a significant lead against #13 Louisiana in the opening round, ultimately emerging with a three-point victory. However, they demonstrated tenacity in the second round, thoroughly defeating #5 Duke by 13 points.
Despite falling short of the mark, rating sites KenPom and Torvik evaluate the Vols highly. KenPom ranks Tennessee #6, and Torvik places them at #5. FAU achieves the #21 ranking on KenPom and the #24 spot on Torvik.
#15 Princeton (23-8) vs. #6 Creighton (23-12)
- Point Spread: Creighton -10
- Total: 138.5 o/u
- Moneyline: Princeton +410 / Creighton -510
- Tip-off: Friday, 6 p.m. PT on TBS
Princeton has made it this far with an automatic bid representing the Ivy League, and they stunned #2 Arizona in the opening round, a +16 underdog.
The Princeton Tigers continued their Cinderella run by defeating #7 Missouri in the second round. Although Princeton was a +6.5 underdog, they crushed the Tigers with a 15-point victory. Senior guard Ryan Langborg led the way with 22 points in the game.
Senior forward Tosan Evbuomwan, born in Newcastle, England, anchors Princeton and is their leading scorer with 14.8 points per game. Evbuomwan also contributes 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. In the first round, Evbuomwan managed 15 points, but he was the only Princeton player to reach double digits in scoring in the upset over Arizona.
Creighton has progressed easily through the games, securing spots in the Sweet 16 with two victories. They defeated #11 North Carolina State by nine points in the opening round and beat #3 Baylor by nine points in the second round.
Creighton's intimidating front line presents a challenge for Princeton. Ryan Kalkbrenner, the team's leading scorer and a towering 7-foot-1 center, averages 15.7 points per game. Kalkbrenner's dominating performance against NC State in the first round saw him score 31 points and block three shots.
In comparison, Princeton is the least-favored team of the Sweet 16 according to both KenPom and Torvik. They received a #91 ranking on KenPom, and the Torvik Ranking places them #94. Meanwhile, KenPom ranked Creighton #12 nationally but Torvik puts them at #13.
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