College Basketball Odds, Pick for Texas A&M vs FAU

Editor's Note: FAU's Nick Boyd (undisclosed) and Giancarlo Rosado (undisclosed) are officially out vs. Texas A&M

The first semifinal game of the ESPN Events Invitational is all about one word: experience.

After last year’s run to the Final Four, Florida Atlantic returned the third-most minutes in the nation, including five of its top six scorers.

On the flip side, Texas A&M returned the 25th-most minutes in the country — including it’s top two scorers, Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford — from a team that won 25 games in 2022-23.

While I’m expecting a close matchup in Kissimmee, Florida, the Owls haven’t looked right so far this season. They lost to Bryant at home — when they couldn’t hit an outside shot (5-of-30 from 3) — and allowed Butler to score 86 points in their opening game of this tournament.

The biggest problem is the Owls need more from Alijah Martin, who’s been nursing an injury. The senior was the team’s second-leading scorer last season (13.4 PPG), but in 2023-24, he’s averaging just 6.7 points on 19.2% (!) shooting.

The Owls can ill afford another off game from Martin against the Aggies because his counterpart — Taylor — has been on absolute fire. The junior made play-after-play down the stretch of the Aggies’ win against Penn State, scoring 23 points and grabbing six boards.

If FAU plays defense like it did against Butler, it stands no chance of stopping Taylor from getting whatever he wants on the floor.

The must-have app for college basketball bettors

The best NCAAB betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW

The Aggies don’t just have Taylor, though. Henry Coleman III dropped 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting versus Penn State and Radford has been consistent as the second-leading scorer. That big three can stack up against some of the best nationally.

It’s not like A&M hasn’t tested itself thus far this season, either — it won at Ohio State and smoked SMU on the road.

And therein lies the problem for FAU: The Aggies have picked up right where they left off last season and the Owls have not.

It also doesn’t help that Dusty May’s team was without Nick Boyd (undisclosed) and Giancarlo Rosado (undisclosed) on Thursday, and their statuses are unknown for Friday (although it sounds like Boyd isn’t going to suit up at all in this event).

Those losses zap the Owls of much-needed depth, putting even more pressure on the veteran returnees (like Martin). That's especially bad news when a team is playing the second game of a back-to-back.

The Owls were overvalued entering the year (remember: they almost lost in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament to Memphis), and they likely won’t reach the peak of last year’s run.

With the roster currently banged up and the team not playing its best right now, I don’t see FAU rising up in this spot against Taylor & Co.

The Owls will be still be a good team down the road, but Buzz Williams’ team is currently on a mission, and it certainly doesn’t stop here in central Florida.

Give me the Aggies to cover.

Pick: Texas A&M -3 (Play to -5)

ESPN Bet Sportsbook is now another option to maximize your Texas A&M vs. FAU action. You can now use our ESPN BET promo code TANBONUS for a new user welcome.