It will be a battle between American Athletic Conference opponents when the East Carolina Pirates (10-11) welcome the Houston Cougars (14-6) to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The game starts at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 30 and will air on ESW and ES3.
The Pirates come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, narrowly defeating Temple 64-61 on Wednesday. Kentrell Barkley fueled the Pirates, recording 13 points and 10 rebounds to notch his second double-double this season. The Cougars are coming off an 81-66 win against Tulsa on Wednesday. Galen Robinson Jr. led the game in scoring by recording 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as East Carolina ranks 293rd in the nation in possessions per game (66.9 possessions per game), while Houston is 268th (67.5). The Cougars could also control the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank 15th in the nation in OR% at 37.9%. The Pirates, meanwhile, place near the bottom of the nation (265th) on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 68.4%.
The Pirates come into this game 10-11 Straight Up (SU) and 8-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS).
Over on the other bench, Houston has a SU record of 14-6 and an ATS record of 8-7. The Cougars have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 14.2 offensive rebounds per game, 14th in the country. Houston’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents making only 5.0 shots from the three-point line per game. Don’t expect Houston to give away the ball much on offense, where its 10.9 turnovers per game ranks 29th in the country.
These conference foes will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Cougars were winners, bringing their SU record in their most recent games to 6-4. Furthermore, with a 7-3 record, Houston has the advantage ATS. In these last five matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou
Notes
East Carolina is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of East Carolina’s last 6 games.
East Carolina is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games.
East Carolina is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of East Carolina’s last 10 games when playing Houston.
East Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston.
East Carolina averages 69.2 points per game, placing the team just 248th in the nation. Houston ranks 78th in points allowed, giving up 67.7 points per game.
East Carolina scores just 71.2 points per home game (ranked 261st). Houston ranks 59th in points allowed on the road, giving up 70.0 points.
With 66.9 possessions and 1.034 points per possession, the East Carolina Pirates perform worse on both metrics than the Houston Cougars. Houston averages 67.5 possessions and 1.151 points per possession.
Houston has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.0%. East Carolina is an abysmal 2-6 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the East Carolina Pirates attempt 19.0 three point field goals per game and the Houston Cougars attempt 20.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, East Carolina has an underachieving record of 3-6, while Houston is 7-5.
Houston, the 52nd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.6 rebounds per game. East Carolina does worse, ranked 263rd with 34.8.
The East Carolina Pirates make an average of 5.6 steals per game. When the Houston Cougars allow 5 or more steals, they are a solid 9-5.
