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Tulsa Golden Hurricane – East Carolina Pirates Preview – 01.19.2016

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will be at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum to play the East Carolina Pirates in an American Athletic Conference matchup. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and will air on ESW and ES3.

The Pirates got blown out by UCF 89-69 on Saturday. Kentrell Barkley played well for East Carolina, contributing eight points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. The Golden Hurricane, meanwhile, are coming off a 60-51 win over Connecticut on Thursday. James Woodard shot 6 for 12 and led in scoring with 20 points.

This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Golden Hurricane won the first game 55-43. Rashad Smith was a standout player in the game, producing 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.

East Carolina, a seven-point underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Tulsa. The matchup currently has a 137-point Over/Under (O/U). The Pirates enter the game with records of 8-10 Straight Up (SU) and 6-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Pirates have stifled opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing a three-point field goal percentage of only .311.

On the other side, the Golden Hurricane head into the game with records of 8-7-1 ATS and 11-6 SU. The Golden Hurricane are one of the top defensive teams on the road, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 68.3 points allowed per away game. Don’t expect Tulsa to give away the ball much on offense, where its 11.1 turnovers per game ranks 37th in the country.

Tulsa won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against East Carolina to 9-1 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Additionally, with a 5-3-2 record, Tulsa has the advantage ATS. Tulsa held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five game, while East Carolina wasn’t able to do so in that span.

Predictions: SU Winner – Tulsa, ATS Winner – ECU, O/U – Over

Notes

East Carolina is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games.

East Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.

East Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tulsa.

The total has gone OVER in 6 of East Carolina’s last 9 games when playing Tulsa.

Winless against their conference, the East Carolina Pirates are 0-5 SU against their rivals, while Tulsa sits at 3-2 SU against its foes.

In its last game, East Carolina lost by a margin of 20 points. Tulsa is 1-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. East Carolina has a 3-4 record in blowouts.

East Carolina has an average field goal percentage of 42.6%. Tulsa is a poor 2-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.

The East Carolina Pirates rank lower for their field goal percentage (249th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (245th), but the Tulsa Golden Hurricane have a better FG% ranking (154th) than eFG% ranking (165th).

Tulsa ranks 90th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.21. East Carolina is ranked lower at 118th with an A/TO of 1.15.

Tulsa has forced an average turnover rate of 21.3% this season. In games where its turnover rate is 21.3% or higher, East Carolina is an even 3-3.

Written by GMS Previews

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