Florida Atlantic vs Dayton Prediction 3/19/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The Dayton Flyers and the Florida Atlantic Owls meet Wednesday in NIT college basketball action from Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. Here’s a Florida Atlantic vs Dayton prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Florida Atlantic vs Dayton pick.

Dayton Flyers Betting Preview

The Flyers really only had one bad run in the record column back in January. Outside of that it’s been a pretty solid year overall. Dayton managed to win 10 of their first 12 outings, falling to only North Carolina and Iowa State in that time. Losses to Cincinnati, George Washington, UMass and George Mason came in the next five games, then wins over Loyola, Duquesne and Saint Joseph.s A 4-3 stretch came next with wins over Saint Louis, Davidson, Fordham and Duquesne alongside losses to St. Bonaventure, VCU and Loyola. After wins versus Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Louis and VCU, the Flyers took a conference tournament loss to Saint Joseph’s. That gives Dayton a 22-10 overall record so far this year.

In the tournament matchup with Saint Joseph’s back on Friday, the Flyers fought back from a 33-24 halftime deficit to force an extra period. Dayton ended up losing a tough one in overtime however, 73-68. Top performer Nate Santos managed a double-double in the defeat with 14 points, 15 boards and two assists. Both Amael L’Etang (six rebounds; four blocks) and Javon Bennett (three rebounds; two assists) each chipped in 15 points, and Malachi Smith added 11 points with five assists in 35 minutes of work.

Florida Atlantic Owls Betting Preview

Over on the Florida Atlantic side, they were fighting off a .500 record for most of the year but ended up doing fairly well overall in the win column. The Owls kicked things off at 10-10 over their first 20 games. The losses in that time came versus UCF, Charleston, Drake, Seton Hall, Florida Gulf Coast, Michigan State, Memphis, UAB, Tulane and North Texas. Florida Atlantic would beat UTSA, South Florida Tulsa, Charlotte and Temple from there, then hit a rough 2-4 stretch to close out the regular season. Those losses were versus Wichita State, Memphis, North Texas and UAB. After a tourney win over Charlotte, the Owls fell to Tulane in game two, giving FAU an 18-15 overall run through 33 games this year.

By halftime in their quarterfinal matchup versus Tulane in the AAC Tournament, FAU was trailing 37-32. The Owls didn’t end up getting any closer in an eventual loss 83-76. Leading team scorer Matas Vokietaitis put up 21 points with 12 rebounds and one block. Devin Vanterpool was the only other player on the team to finish in double-digits with 12 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes of work off the bench. Both Leland Walker (seven assists) and Baba Miller (seven rebounds) chipped in eight points as well in starting roles.

Why the Florida Atlantic Owls will win

• Florida Atlantic has won each of its last nine Wednesday night games at Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
• Dayton has lost three of its last four road games after coming off overtime.
• Florida Atlantic has won the first half in 15 of its last 16 night games against non-Conference opponents at Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

Why the Dayton Flyers will win

• Dayton has won each of its last six night games following an overtime loss.
• Florida Atlantic has lost each of its last three night games.
• Dayton has won the first half in each of its last three National Invitation Tournament games.

Total Points Facts

• Thirty-three of Dayton’s last 36 night games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 150 or fewer points.
• Four of Florida Atlantic’s last five games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 155+ points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Florida Atlantic ranks 39th among Division 1 teams for assists per game this season (16.2).
• Dayton ranks 40th among Division 1 teams for assist to turnover ratio this season (1.45).
• Dayton ranks 41st among Division 1 teams for free throws made per game this season (16.2).

Florida Atlantic vs Dayton Prediction

I’ll lean toward the Flyers. That said, this should be a pretty good matchup overall and you could call it either way. Dayton didn’t play very well versus Saint Joseph’s in their last outing though, hitting a rough 36.6 percent from the field with 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from the line. The Flyers gave up just 34.9 percent on the other side, but fell victim to 20 made free throws by the Hawks. The defeat ended a four-game win streak for Dayton, and they’d posted 72 or more points in seven straight prior to that outing as well.

As for FAU, they shot miserably versus Tulane (36.2 percent) but otherwise looked pretty solid statistically. The Owls had a 42-38 rebounding edge and just four turnovers, however they did give up 48.1 percent shooting on the other side. Florida Atlantic has hit 69 or more points in four of their last five games (a 3-2 stretch), so we should have a pretty decent total here.