Florida Atlantic prepares to visit Memphis on Thursday night in American Athletic Conference play. Both teams are headed in different directions recently, with FAU tied at the top of the conference standings and Memphis struggling to keep up. Here, I break down this matchup in the AAC and you can find my Florida Atlantic vs Memphis prediction before tip-off below.
Our Florida Atlantic vs Memphis Pick
Pick: Florida Atlantic Moneyline
Confidence: ★★★★☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Florida Atlantic Owls @ Memphis Tigers
- Date & Time: Thursday, January 29, 2026, 8:00 PM ET
- Venue: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
- Broadcast: ESPN2
Key Storylines
The Florida Atlantic Owls (14-7, 6-2 AAC) enter this road date after falling 89-75 to South Florida. Senior guard Devin Vanterpool led the Owls with 22 points in that game and continues to be the offensive focal point for FAU, averaging 16.0 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, and providing consistent production on both ends of the floor.
FAU excels offensively with an average of 82.7 points per contest, ranking among the better scoring teams in the conference, and has put up strong rebounding and assist numbers this season. Their ability to connect from behind the arc (8.8 made threes per game) gives them a scoring edge against many AAC opponents.
Memphis (9-10, 4-3 AAC), coached by Penny Hardaway, sits under .500 overall but has been solid at home with an 8-2 record at FedExForum and has a capable offense led by Dug McDaniel’s 13.4 points and 4.8 assists per outing. The Tigers rank fourth in the AAC in assists, but their scoring average of 73.2 points per game is noticeably lower than FAU’s offensive output.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- Earlier this month, Florida Atlantic won the first matchup against Memphis 89-78 in Boca Raton.
- Florida Atlantic is 13-6 against the spread going into this contest.
- Memphis is 10-9 against the spread entering Thursday’s play.
- FAU has gone over the total in 10 of their first 19 games.
- The under is 11-8 in Memphis’ games this season.
Florida Atlantic vs Memphis Model Projection
Score Projection: Florida Atlantic 75 – Memphis 74
Win Probability: Florida Atlantic 50%, Memphis 50%
Final Thoughts
I’m going to take the FAU Owls to defeat Memphis in this matchup. Memphis has been better at home than they have been on the road this year. But the Tigers have struggled overall and have already proven that they are going to have their hands full against this Owls team. Give me FAU as a slight underdog on the moneyline here.
