The East Carolina Pirates (12-18) will wrap up the regular season when they go head-to-head against the Memphis Tigers (16-14) at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Action begins at 4:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 6 and can be seen on CCS.
The Pirates enter this game hoping for similar success after topping South Florida 52-39 on Wednesday. Caleb White was the team’s leading scorer with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting. The Tigers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 72-62 loss against Temple on Thursday. Shaq Goodwin had a good game for Memphis, registering 16 points, five rebounds, and three blocks.
Trips to the foul line may prove key for the Tigers in this one. They’re ranked 31st in the nation in FTA rate (43.4), while East Carolina is among the best at keeping opponents off of the charity stripe (ranking 12th by allowing a FTA rate of 27.1).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Pirates winning the first matchup 84-83. Despite the loss, Dedric Lawson had a standout performance with 27 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks, and one three-pointer.
The Pirates are 14-9-2 Against The Spread (ATS), but have a SU record of 12-18. Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS.
Over on the other bench, the Tigers have 16-13 SU and 10-15-1 ATS records. Memphis has a poor SU record over the last 10 games (3-7), but have a 7-2-1 record ATS. Offensively, they average 77.9 points per game on the road, which is 20th in the country. The Tigers have controlled the glass with an average of 41.2 rebounds per game, 13th in the country. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Tigers have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .400. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Tigers, who rank 43rd in the nation with 7.6 steals per game.
In their previous meeting this season, East Carolina beat Memphis, but the win was not enough to overtake Memphis in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the last few meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Pirates have the advantage ATS. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mem, ATS Winner – Mem
Notes
Memphis averages 76.6 points per game (ranked 79th). East Carolina, on the other hand, allows 71.6 points per game (ranked 143rd).
The Memphis Tigers have a defensive rating of 96.8 (ranked 20th), while the East Carolina Pirates have an offensive rating of 102.0 (ranked 251st).
The East Carolina Pirates average a field goal percentage of 42.9% this season. The Memphis Tigers have a poor record of 3-8 when opponents have a FG% of 42.9% or greater.
The East Carolina Pirates rank lower for their field goal percentage (232nd) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (212th), but the Memphis Tigers have a better FG% ranking (305th) than eFG% ranking (323rd).
East Carolina ranks 67th in assists, recording 15.1 per game. Memphis ranks 81st with 14.9 assists per game.
The Memphis Tigers average 41.2 rebounds per game and are ranked 13th. The East Carolina Pirates average 34.0 rebounds per game, ranked 278th.
The Memphis Tigers rank 30th in offensive rebounds. The East Carolina Pirates rank 260th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
East Carolina has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.8% this season. Memphis is an even 6-6 when its TO% is 18.8% or higher.
