The East Carolina Pirates (8-11) look to end their six-game losing streak when they compete against the Memphis Tigers (12-6) at the FedExForum. The game starts at 2:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 24 and will air on CCS.
The Tigers lost to Cincinnati 76-72 on Thursday. Trahson Burrell played well in the loss for Memphis, recording 24 points and 11 rebounds to earn his third double-double of the season. The Pirates, meanwhile, are coming off an 84-69 loss to Tulsa on Tuesday. B.J. Tyson had a good shooting night, leading the team with 16 points.
This game should be a matchup of contrasting styles. The Tigers (ranked 15th in the nation in possessions per game) prefer a fast-breaking style of play, while the Pirates (296th) are more half-court oriented.
Memphis is a considerable 16-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 143 points. The Tigers look to build on their records of 12-6 Straight Up (SU) and 6-8-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Tigers have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the sixth-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 42.6 per game, while the Pirates rank 254th in the nation with 35.2 per game. Turning to the defensive side, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Tigers, who allow a field goal percentage of only .370. The Tigers are the 28th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.3 steals per game.
On the other side, the Pirates head into the game with records of 6-7-1 ATS and 8-11 SU.
These conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Pirates were winners, but Memphis still leads the head-to-head record, 8-2 SU, over their most recent matchups. However, with a 7-3 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 – Mem, ATS Winner – Mem, O/U – Over
Notes
Memphis is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games.
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis’s last 6 games when playing East Carolina.
Memphis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing East Carolina.
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against East Carolina.
Memphis has a 3-2 SU record against other teams in the American Athletic Conference Conference, while East Carolina has a winless 0-6 SU record against these opponents.
East Carolina averages 68.7 points per game, placing the team just 278th in the nation. Memphis ranks 81st in points allowed, giving up 67.1 points per game.
The Memphis Tigers have a defensive rating of 89.8 (ranked sixth), while the East Carolina Pirates have an offensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 234th).
Memphis has an average field goal percentage of 40.4%. East Carolina is a poor 5-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Memphis Tigers rank higher based on their field goal percentage (317th) than their effective field goal percentage (331st). The East Carolina Pirates rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (237th) than their field goal percentage (243rd).
Memphis ranks 92nd in assists, registering 14.9 per game. East Carolina performs worse at 106th with 14.7 assists per game.
The Memphis Tigers average 6.6 blocks per game, the third-ranked team in the country. The East Carolina Pirates rank a lowly 306th in blocking with just 2.2 per game.
Memphis ranks 42nd in offensive rebounding. East Carolina ranks 226th in defensive rebounding.
The East Carolina Pirates make an average of 5.6 steals per game. When the Memphis Tigers give up 5 or more steals, they are a solid 11-6.
