The No.8-seeded East Carolina Pirates (12-19) face off against the No.9-seeded South Florida Bulls (7-24) in the first round of the AAC tournament at the Amway Center. Action gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Pirates were blown out by Memphis 83-53 in their last game. Michel Nzege was the best player for the Pirates, contributing 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals. The Bulls, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 84-74 loss at the hands of Tulsa in their last game. Jahmal McMurray had a good shooting night, leading the team with 20 points.
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Pirates had the upper hand in the most recent game, a blowout 52-39 win. Caleb White had a stellar game with 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one block, and two three-pointers.
The Pirates enter the game with records of 12-19 Straight Up (SU) and 14-10-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Pirates have stifled opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing a three-point field goal percentage of only .334.
As for their opponent, South Florida has a SU record of 7-24 and an ATS record of 16-14. The South Florida defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .413 shooting from the field to its opponents.
East Carolina beat South Florida in their most recent meeting this season, but South Florida still leads the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU. With a 7-3 record, the Bulls also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – ECU, ATS Winner – ECU
Notes
In its last game, East Carolina lost by a margin of 30 points. South Florida is 0-6 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. East Carolina has a 3-6 record in blowouts.
The East Carolina Pirates have a defensive rating of 106.2 (ranked 82nd), while the South Florida Bulls have an offensive rating of 94.8 (ranked 326th).
South Florida has an average field goal percentage of 41.6%. East Carolina is an abysmal 5-17 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The East Carolina Pirates rank lower for their field goal percentage (241st) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (225th), but the South Florida Bulls have a better FG% ranking (288th) than eFG% ranking (333rd).
East Carolina ranks 64th in assists, registering 15.2 per game. South Florida performs worse at 345th with 9.9 assists per game.
South Florida, the 66th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.5 rebounds per game. East Carolina does worse, ranked 278th with 34.1.
The East Carolina Pirates average 5.7 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the South Florida Bulls have an underachieving record (6-22) this season.
