It will be a battle between AAC opponents when the East Carolina Pirates (8-12, 2-7 AAC) welcome the Tulane Green Wave (12-8, 3-5 AAC) to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The game can be seen on ESPNews at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 31, 2018.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 146 points with Tulane set as a 5.5-point favorite.
Tulane Green Wave vs. East Carolina Pirates Free Prediction
The Green Wave are trying to rebound after their 80-75 loss to the South Florida Bulls in their last outing. One of South Florida’s largest strengths was getting to the charity stripe. They made 37 trips to the line, while Tulane went just 20 times. Samir Sehic was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
In the Pirates’ last game, they were blown out by the SMU Mustangs, 86-61. SMU’s free throw rate was their largest advantage over East Carolina. The Mustangs had a rate of 0.127 (below their season average of 0.232), while the Pirates posted a mark of 0.071 (below their season average of 0.217). East Carolina’s Shawn Williams had 14 points in the game.
Looking at effective field goal percentage, Tulane figures to have a significant advantage. The Green Wave defense ranks 97th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.486), while the East Carolina offense is ranked 314th in effective field goal percentage (0.472).
Tulane holds records of 12-8 straight up (SU) and 7-8 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when predicting totals of Green Wave games, with 8 unders compared to 7 overs.
Meanwhile, East Carolina is 8-12 SU and 6-7 ATS. Of the Pirates’ 13 games that accepted bets, 8 have finished over the projected point total.
After the Pirates won both contests against the Green Wave last season, these teams will meet for the first time this year. In the most recent matchup, East Carolina won 76-73. The Pirates had a better free throw rate (0.224 vs. 0.172) and had a better offensive rebounding percentage (30.3 vs. 25.6).
Tulane Green Wave at East Carolina Pirates Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Tulane, ATS Winner – Tulane, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Tulane is 4-4 ATS on the road with 5 unders and 3 overs.
At home, East Carolina is 3-4 ATS with 4 overs and 3 unders.
Tulane averages 16.4 assists per game, which ranks 36th in the nation. East Carolina ranks 213th in assists allowed per game (15.4).
The Green Wave rank 119th in three pointers attempted per game (22.7) while the Pirates rank 238th (18.8).
Tulane averages 4.7 blocks per game, which ranks 35th in the nation. East Carolina ranks 107th in blocks allowed per game (3.5).
The Green Wave rank 172nd in rebounds per game (35.1) while the Pirates rank 209th in rebounds allowed per game (36.8).
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, Tulane is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
East Carolina is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Green Wave have been outscored by an average of 4.8 points in their last five games. For the season, Tulane has defeated opponents by an average of 2.8 points.
During their last five games, the Pirates have scored an average of 64.0 points per game (1.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 76.8 points per game (5.6 above their season average).
