In their final home game of the season, the East Carolina Pirates (10-17, 4-12 AAC) host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (17-11, 10-6 AAC) at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 1, 2018, and will air on ESPNU.
Tulsa opened as a 9.5-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 144.5 points.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. East Carolina Pirates ATS Prediction
The last time the Golden Hurricane played, they were defeated by the No. 11 Cincinnati Bearcats, 82-74. Cincinnati’s effective field goal percentage was their biggest strength over Tulsa. The Bearcats had a rate of 0.688 (above their season average of 0.517), while the Golden Hurricane posted a mark of 0.576. Junior Etou was the top scorer from either team with 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting.
The Pirates lost big to the No. 23 Houston Cougars in their last matchup, 109-58. Houston’s rebounding was their biggest advantage. The Cougars had more offensive rebounds (12 vs. four), defensive rebounds (34 vs. 13) and total rebounds (46 vs. 17). B.J. Tyson put together a good game for East Carolina, leading both teams in scoring with 24 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
Getting to the line might be scarce for East Carolina in this battle. The Pirates currently rank 313th in the nation with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.197, while Tulsa ranks 14th in FTA rate allowed (0.175).
Tulsa comes into the contest with records of 17-11 straight up (SU) and 16-9 against the spread (ATS). Golden Hurricane games have a tendency to go over the projected point total (60.0 percent).
Meanwhile, East Carolina owns records of 10-17 SU and 10-10 ATS. Pirates games also have a tendency to finish over the projected point total (65.0 percent).
Isaac Fleming and Tyson have been playing well over the last five games for East Carolina. Fleming has averaged 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. Not to be outdone, Tyson has recorded 16.4 points and 3.4 assists a game during that span.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. Etou scored a game-high 20 points in the first game, in which the Golden Hurricane defeated the Pirates 79-53, covering as 14-point favorites. He also had 14 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 132 points, which was 8.5 points below the projected point total of 140.5 points. The Golden Hurricane had a much better turnover percentage (6.0 vs. 15.8) and had a better free throw rate (0.141 vs. 0.076).
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at East Carolina Pirates Betting Pick
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Tulsa, ATS Winner – Tulsa, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Tulsa is 9-5 ATS on the road with 8 overs and 6 unders.
At home, East Carolina is 6-5 ATS with 6 overs and 5 unders.
Tulsa ranks 67th in rebounds per game (37.8) while East Carolina ranks 223rd in rebounds allowed per game (36.8).
The Pirates rank 131st in three pointers allowed per game (21.4) while the Golden Hurricane rank 286th (26.9).
Tulsa averages 12.6 assists per game, which ranks 200th in the NCAA. East Carolina ranks 252nd in assists allowed per game (16.0).
The Pirates rank 125th in blocks per game (3.3) while the Golden Hurricane rank 154th in blocks allowed per game (3.8).
East Carolina ranks 222nd in steals per game (5.0) while Tulsa ranks 245th (4.5).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Tulsa is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
East Carolina is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Golden Hurricane’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 3.4, up from 1.8 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pirates have scored an average of 70.2 points per game (3.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 88.0 points per game (13.2 above their season average).
