The No. 10-ranked SMU Mustangs (15-0) travel to East Carolina to play the Pirates (8-8) in a game that has the potential to be low-scoring. The game starts at 6:15 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 13 and will air on ESW and ES3.
The Pirates lost big to Temple 78-60 on Saturday. Caleb White finished with 14 points to lead the team. The Mustangs, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-73 win over UCF on Sunday. Ben Moore led the game in scoring with 23 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as East Carolina ranks 305th in the nation in possessions per game (66.5 possessions per game), while SMU is 332nd (65.5).
The Pirates enter the game with records of 8-8 Straight Up (SU) and 6-4-1 Against The Spread (ATS).
On the other side, the Mustangs haven’t fared well ATS, sitting at 4-7. However, they are 15-0 SU. SMU is one of the top shooting teams in the country, hitting .521 of its shots from the floor. The Mustangs are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 41.0 rebounds per game. The Mustangs rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 20th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.56. SMU’s defense is one of the top in the nation, with opponents shooting only .392 from the field.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, SMU came out on top, moving its SU record against East Carolina to 6-4 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. However, with a 5-4-1 record, East Carolina has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – SMU, ATS Winner – SMU
Notes
East Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
East Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
SMU is a perfect 4-0 SU against conference rivals, while East Carolina is a winless 0-3 SU against its foes.
The SMU Mustangs have a defensive rating of 94.9 (ranked 42nd), while the East Carolina Pirates have an offensive rating of 104.4 (ranked 198th).
The East Carolina Pirates average 66.5 possessions per game and 1.044 points per possession, while the SMU Mustangs earn fewer possessions (65.5) but more points per possession (1.246).
The SMU Mustangs have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the country with an eFG% of 58.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the East Carolina Pirates are winless with a 0-2 record.
Ranked ninth in the nation, SMU has an average of 18.7 assists per game. East Carolina ranks lower at 124th with 14.5.
SMU, the 72nd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.6 per game. East Carolina does worse, ranked 305th with 2.2.
East Carolina ranks 171st in offensive rebounds, while SMU ranks 65th in defensive rebounds.
The East Carolina Pirates average 5.5 steals per game. The SMU Mustangs are undefeated at 14-0 when they allow at least 5 steals.
