An East region showdown has the No. 9 seed Northwestern Wildcats and the No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic Owls battling on Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET. The Owls are 4-point favorites in the latest Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 143.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows Northwestern senior guard Boo Buie has been the main contributor on the offensive end. Buie is a solid playmaker and has a knack for creating offensive looks for himself. The New York native averages a team-high 19.2 points and 5.1 assists per game. In his previous outing, Buie notched 29 points, three assists and three steals.

The model also knows Florida Atlantic junior guard Johnell Davis is a crafty shot creator with the ability to score from all three levels. Davis is putting up a team-high 18.2 points with 6.3 rebounds and three assists per game. On Mar. 15, he piled up 18 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Now, the model has set its sights on Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Northwestern vs. Florida Atlantic, and which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from that's on a 29-19 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!